You were a cascade of colors on my monochrome palette
by atlantis23
Summary: "I said. What if I paint on your bare back?" Beca repeated. Chloe frowned. "Oh.. I get if you don't want me to" the brunette added, embarrassed. The redhead bit her bottom lip "I.. uhm.. I.. I guess it's okay" [..] She took off her hoodie and put it in her bag. When she stood up, she saw Beca staring at her "You're beautiful" she murmured. It was barely audible, but Chloe heard it.
1. Prologue

-PROLOGUE -

I'm sure you've lived, at least once in your lifetime, one of those amazing days when the sun seems to shine much brighter than it usually does.

You remember them as the shortest yet longest days you've ever lived. And you feel your heart getting warmer at the memory, and you just can't forget the saturated colors that color those remembrances as the most beautiful of paintings. You remember people's voices, which are even sweeter than the softest melodies you've ever heard, and their scent. These are the days you live for, the memories you would never delete.

But there are also those days you want to erase, remove from your brain, and you would do anything to forget about them (you would even take Matrix blue pill). And every color seems to discolor, even red becomes paler, and everything turns black and white.

Stacie rememebers the day her world seemed to fall apart, one of those awful days she absolutely wants to forget.

It was a Saturday morning, and she was very happy: her cat had given birth to four cute kittens the day before, and she was incredibly excited about that.

She was taking care of them just as a mom does with her babies, when she heard someone knocking at the door.

She listlessy stood up and yelled "I'm coming" as she walked towards the entrance.

She took a moment to tie her hair in a ponytail, and slowly lowered her hand on the doorknob, wondering who could be knocking at 9 a.m.

When she finally opened the door, she found a very upset Chloe standing in front of her.  
She could see from her face that something was wrong (oh so wrong).

Her eyes streamed with tears and her voice trembled as she spoke. "Stacie, I'm moving" she said, and that was the moment Stacie frowned and stared at her girlfriend, unable to underdstand what the redhead had just said.

"What does it mean that you are moving? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not" she said, crying even louder and putting her arms around Stacie's neck.

She sobbed for a while, and Stacie couldn't help but stare at her, not being able to process the redhead's words.

After a few minutes, she eventually spoke up "Okay Chloe, now stop and please tell me this is a joke." That could not be true.

Her girlfriend just sobbed and whispered something Stacie couldn't get. She was getting more and more worried every second. "Speak louder, Chloe" she ordered.

The redhead mumbled and her arms soon left Stacie's neck. She slowly lifted her head to look straight into the brunette's eyes and opened her mouth a few times before actually saying something "I'm moving" she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady "This is not a joke, Stacie"

And these words were like a death sentence for the brunette. She stared at her sobbing girlfriend, and felt her own vision becoming more and more blurred as the sense of Chloe's words was getting clearer and clearer to her.

Her girlfriend, her best friend, her love, her whole world, was leaving her. Where was she going? When was she leaving? Why were they destined to part?

But her mind focused on the most important thing. Chloe. She was desperately crying in front of her and she hadn't been doing anything to comfort her yet.

"Come here" she said, gesturing the redhead to step inside. She did, and Stacie closed the door behind them. She took Chloe's hand and led her to the couch, sitting on it and patting on the cushion beside her.

As Chloe sat down, Stacie put her arms around her and held her girlfriend tight, as if she wanted to keep together those pieces she knew were falling apart. "Hey, hey don't you cry, my love" she whispered in the redhead's ear as she played with her red locks. "Everything is going to be okay, I promise"

Chloe lifted her head from her girlfriend's shoulder and looked at her. "You promise?" She asked.

Stacie could not help but drown into those blue eyes, which were way too red for tears. Her girlfriend. Such a beautiful creature. She decided, she swore to herself that she was not going to let anything hurt the redhead. Like never again. "I do" she said, catching the redhead's lips in a soft kiss.


	2. Chapter 1

-CHAPTER 1-

September 1st, W., Florida

Stacie was on the way home after a long day of school (it was not that long, in fact, they had only four classes per day to attend during the first week, but it still _seemed_ so long. Life was terribly boring without Chloe) with her best friend Luke, who used to walk both her and Chloe home (when Chloe was still there, obviously).

Now, they were walking alone, and Luke was telling Stacie something she wasn't paying attention to. She was too busy thinking about her girlfriend, not able to focus on anything else. Her presence was still lingering there, and she couldn't help but miss the way her perky redhead laughed, her scent, and her body. And all of the things that made her fall so deep for Chloe.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying, Stacie?"

She suddenly noticed that she was staring at the ground, 'in pensive mood' (using Wordsworth's language), so she lifted her head and looked at her friend. He had a worried expression on his face.

"Stacie, come on, we all are sad about Chloe, but you can't live like this, just missing her and ignoring everything else... life isn't just about your love. There are so many things you can do now. You can live all this like an opportunity, or give up and spend your last year of high school missing your girlfriend. She'll come back, it's just a year. You may go to college together or something. I think you should concentrate on yourself in these months... you know... learning new things, meeting new people, trying to enjoy what you have. It's important. It's useful. You just can't live like this... it's a waste of time."

She immediately felt guilty for what Luke had just said: it was true, she had spent the whole week at home alone, ignoring her friends, focused only on books and videogames. _He's right. I'm sure Chloe doesn't want me to be unhappy. I gotta do something to make her proud._

"Yeah, I guess this is true." She admitted, sighing. "Just... yeah... I'm so sorry Luke... promise I will get my shit together s-"

 _She played the fiddle in an Irish band, but she fell in love with an English man_

 _Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand, said baby I just wanna dance._

 _I met her on Grafton Street..._

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"Oh" Stacie mumbled, taking her phone from the pocket. "Just my phone ringing."

She saw Chloe's name on the screen and immediately accepted the call.

"Hi Chlo" she said, putting the speaker on "You're on speaker, Luke's with me"

"Oh.. hi love, hi Luke, damn I'm so scaaaared. I'm going to school right now. I need you to comfort me. I'm almost hyperventilating."

"Why are you nervous, Chlo bear?" Luke asked, frowning.

"You know, Luke, meeting new people... I'm afraid they won't like me. Or, just... something going wrong and all of that, I guess"

Both Stacie and Luke burst into laughter. "Why are you laughing... you don't take me seriously. You... oh... I'm ending this call in three, two, o-"

"Chloe, come on." Stacie said giggling "Everyone likes you, you're like, the most positive and attractive person in the world." she smiled "And you're mine"

She heard no response for a while, and she thought her girlfriend had hung up. She was about to end the call when Chloe spoke again. "You know, maybe you're right. I gotta go now."

"Alright, call me later" Stacie answered.

"Sure, bye guys." And she hung up.

Stacie sighed. She put the phone back in her pocket and smiled to Luke as they continued walking.

"Woah, her absence is the strongest presence I've ever felt." Luke stated after a while "As if she was here, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, yeah I do... I still feel her arms around me when I go to sleep. And her kisses." she sighed "And something else you probably don't want to know." She added, smiling.

Luke giggled "Yeah I think I can live without knowing that"

As soon as they arrived in front of Luke's house, they hugged each other and took separate ways: Luke stepped into his house and Stacie continued walking.

She took the phone from her pocket and saw a message. It was from Chloe. "I love you" it said.

"Love you too" she texted back, as she put her headphones on and selected her favorite song on repeat.

* * *

When she received the second call from Chloe, Stacie was looking at the stars with her telescope.

She had an amazing bedroom, a penthouse just beneath the roof.

Whenever she felt particularly sad (or when she was curious), she used to look at the stars and the planets, which made her feel so small, yet incredible and unique, and had the power of making her relax.

She heard her familiar ringtone and took her phone, which was right beside the telescope.

She slid her finger on the screen and accepted Chloe's call.

"Hello" she said, as she walked towards her bed and sat on it.

"Hi" Chloe replied shyly "Were you sleeping?"

The brunette giggled "I was not, Chlo. I usually don't go to sleep at ten, you know." she smiled at how her girlfriend could be so oblivious at times. "How are you?"

"Uhm... I guess I'm fine... just... missing you so much" the redhead answered. "And you?"

"I think I have the same problem, my dear." she smiled sadly. "Now tell me, did you meet anyone? Were the classes interesting?" she asked as she laid on her bed, enjoying the softness of her pillow and the sweet smell of the fabric softener her mom used for laundry.

"Oh, yeah, they were much less boring than I thought they would be." she replied "And I met this girl, Lisa. We were in English class together. She introduced me to her friends during lunch break: Tom, Ryan and Kate. Then I had maths and art and that's all." She reassumed.

"Wow, an exciting day... but I still wish you were here with me instead."

"Yeah me too." There were a few moments of silence, then Chloe spoke again. "I haven't told you the most exciting thing yet."

"Tell me, then." she yawned.

"I kind of, you know, I've found this 'manifesto for young and talented artists' which publicizes and intresting art class I absolutely want to attend." she said, excited as a child who is about to buy a new toy. "It is amazing, isn't it?"

Stacie giggled "Yeah, really exciting, at least you've found something special to do. I'm glad that you're enjoying your life there, and I promise you I'll try to do the same." she replied.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, Chloe, more than you'll ever know." Stacie mumbled, yawning again. "I'm tired, Chlo, I gotta go to bed. Well, I actually am, but I gotta sleep now."

"Oh... okay. I guess I'll call you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Stacie."

"Night Chlo. I love you."

"Love you too" and she hung up.

Stacie turned off her phone and put it on the nightstand.

She stared at the ceiling as she was thinking of Chloe. Her eyes and her smile, always them. She was condemned to see her face everywhere. Well, she didn't mind it that much, really, but it was like the redhead's ghost was haunting her everywhere she went.

Anyway, she got caught up in those thoughts and soon fell asleep, with the stars shining outside and the warm breeze of September coming from the window.

* * *

 **Author's note: Song- Ed Sheeran's Galway Girl**


	3. Chapter 2

-CHAPTER 2-

September 1st, B., California

She had lost her headphones again. Shit. How was that even possible, I mean, you're almost eighteen, Beca, and you still lose things in your own house.

She opened her bedroom's door for, like, the third time and looked for her headphones everywhere, but she didn't find them.

There was only one thing worse than losing her headphones, and it was losing her headphones in the morning of her first day of senior year.

She glanced at her watch, sighing. It was almost 8 am, so she had to literally run outside to take the bus and get to school. She sighed again. What a great way to start her last first day of high school... She stood up and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

She walked towards the entrance, checking for her keys, her wallet and her phone, verifing that everything was right where it should be.

Once she had reached the door, she wore her shoes and hurried outside, hoping she wasn't as late as she thought she would be, but she obviously missed the bus and had to walk all the way to her school.

She arrived twenty minutes late and was asked (not that politely, might she add) to wait outside until the end of that class ("Because this is not a hotel, Mitchell, and everything else changes - there is a new iphone coming out almost every year - but you are still short and late." according to her English teacher).

So she waited in the aisle, walking back and forth among the lockers.

She saw some groups of students every now and then, accompained by senior cheerleaders in a guided tour of the school, talking and laughing loudly, and smiled at that sight. She remembered when she was one of them... She got lost into memories for a while...

She remembered her first day in that school, totally lost and absolutely scared. That was the day she met Jesse, who turned out to be the best friend she had ever had.

The green trees outside reminded her of the afternoons spent in the park, studying under the canopies of those big trees and the rustle of their leaves...

Just the bell ringing brought her back to the real world. She took physics' book from her locker and made her way to the lab.

Once she arrived there, she saw Jesse in the room and rapidly sat beside him. "How comes you're here?" She asked him "I thought we had no classes together this morning. It's nice to see you, though."

"I just... I found out that the European History teacher is changed" he passed his right hand into his hair, sighing. "And now that class doesn't look as appealing as it looked before..." he added, grinning.

Beca giggled.

He had attended that class for three years just because he really liked the teacher. She was about thirty and always wore sexy tops and skirts... and Jesse had immediately been very interested in almost everything she said. What a loser.

She shook her head and then turned her face to look at the teacher, who had just started to talk.

She asked them what they had done during summer break, looking quite interested in what the students replied. It was nice to hear other people's stories, Beca really loved that. It made her fly away with her mind, and wonder about adventurous journeys and amazing places.

After that pleasing and evocative moment, the teacher introduced Einstein's life and his scientific findings to the class, writing dates and equations on the blackboard.

Beca loved her: she was so good at teaching, she was that kind of person who could make even maths less boring than it actually was.

The brunette listened to her with passion, and lost the track of time.

The world her teacher was painting with skill was populated by numbers and beams of light. She talked about the relativity theory and its implications in the atomic science. Beca imagined the conferences the scientist had taken part to and the people he had met, and realized that he had been a teenager too, just like her. Maybe everyone had that spark of genius, deep inside them...

Lost in thoughts, she didn't hear the bell ringing, and she didn't stand up until Jesse patted on her back.

She shook her head and smiled at him, and they headed to the lockers together.

* * *

The school day went on without any noteworthy events.

The most interesting thing of Beca's day happened when she was about to come home.

She was waiting for Aubrey in front of the school gate, sat on a stack of red bricks. She was enjoying the fresh breeze of that afternoon, as she watched the students hugging and walking home together. She was also admiring the trees moving, caressed by the wind.

She lifted her head up and closed her eyes, inhaling that cool air deeply and relaxing.

She stayed like that for a while, cradled by the wind just like those trees...

But she suddenly felt something hitting her face, and making her jump.

She opened her eyes, noticing a brochure.

 _Manifesto for young and talented artists_

She continued reading. It apparently was an art class, and it would start the week after.

There was a number written on it _for any information._

She lifted her head and looked for Aubrey, who was nowhere to be found.

She curled her lips and thought for a while.

Then she took her phone from her backpack and dialed the number.


	4. Chapter 3

-CHAPTER 3-

September 8th, B, California

Beca was pedaling with much more effort than she had ever had. The road she was riding on never seemed to end and she thought she had sweat almost 50% of the water (and the relative mineral salts) in her body.

Once she had reached the top of the hill, she was mesmerized by the breathtaking view she had on the valley below: there were a few houses built on the shores of a creek, and its water flowed imperiously against the rocks of its bed. There was a little town in the distance, and that was the place Beca was heading to.

She took the main road at the crossing, it continued on the left, descending the hill and then along the river.

She admired the landscape in front of her as she went on pedaling. The mountains in the distance defined a grand skyline, and she was very tempted to pull over to the side of the road and sketch it, but she would arrive late if she did (as she always was, but she wanted to be in time today).

She had been having a strange feeling, like a cramp, but not that unpleasant, during the whole ride. And now she was nervous, like something important was going to happen. That was the reason she absolutely wanted to get there in time.

Everything in her life was perfect, so she didn't get the meaning of that anxiety, but she was still curious.

Once she got in proximity of the small town, she stopped on the side of the main road and took her phone out of the pocket, looking for directions to reach the run-down villa she was heading to. It was called 'The italian house' in the brochure and it looked quite good from the photos. Quite charming, too. Beca was looking forward to see it (she was very interested in architecture).

She went on for another mile and then turned left, soon reaching a dusty path, surrounded by nature. Her bike hit many pebbles and sent a few of them in the air. That road was way too bumpy even for her mountain bike.

The path continued for a couple of miles, in which Beca couldn't see anything but trees all around her, and it debouched into a wide courtyard, with some cars parked.

It wasn't fenced, but there was a wall -not that tall, since it was half of Beca's height, and Beca was not that tall herself- which delimited the whole land, leaving only a ten feet wide entrance, presumably a car access, closed by a chain.

She stopped in front of it and got off the bike in order to remove it. She did, then stopped for a while to contemplate the house in front of her.

It was not as she had imagined it: it almost looked like the villa she had seen in the photos, but had a totally different impact on her. Something magical, something so incredibly scary yet so oddly familiar, something that attracted her like a magnet does. Inevitably.

The 'italian villa' almost looked like a ruin, mostly because the luxuriant ivy that covered a significant part of the front was not enough to hide the wide and long cracks that had been forming on it during the years. There were some big trees, of which branches -the highest ones- had broken some of the second floor's windows, and they were apparently growing inside of the house now. It looked abandoned, but it had some sort of a decadent charm.

The garden looked like that, too. There were some dead plants that were rotting and becoming almost brown, and some other ones that were growing up, green and strong, all over them. The grass was growing very tall, like it had not been cut for a couple of years.

Staring at it intently, Beca also saw a swing hidden by it, tided to a cherry tree, its rusty chains probably not strong enough to bear a child.

She curled her lips, thinking.

That whole thing looked quite scary: the house, the surroundings, even the sky that was turning grey.. That looked like the perfect scenario for a gothic novel. Hence, she was expecting a witch coming out of the house to kidnap her and use her body for some strange spell.

But, instead of the witch, she saw a good looking redhead popping her head out of a first floor's window. "Are you here for the art class?" She shouted. Beca just nodded and the redhead continued. "That way" she pointed at the stairs at her right "Come in." And she pulled her head back inside, disappearing.

That place looked so creepy, yet so reassuring. It felt so dangerous, yet so magical. Beca didn't know what to do. Or well, she did, but she was scared.

The redhead reappeared. From the door, this time. She yelled at Beca to park her bike near the cars and go inside.

Beca knew that something important was going to happen in a while. She felt it, and she was sure she wasn't wrong. And Beca Mitchell doesn't fear her fate. No way she would have let that opportunity slip away. She was going to find out what the future deserved for her.

"Come on" the redhead yelled again "Are you letting me here until tomorrow? I'm not gonna kill you, you know."

Beca left her bike against the wall, near a red car, and quickly joined the redhead inside. "I bet that even if you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have told me." She smirked.

The redhead closed the door. "I guess so" she eventually replied.

Beca smirked again, stretching her right hand to shake the redhead's one. "I'm Beca, by the way." She said.

"Hi Beca, it's nice to meet you. I'm Anne, your teacher."


	5. Chapter 4

-CHAPTER 4-

September 9th, B., California

It was raining outside.

Some raindrops were hitting the window with violence, then dripping down the steamy glass.

The rain was falling, and its persistent ticking was only interrupted by a louder gust of wind every now and then.

Beca was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

She was literally worn out, but she hadn't been able to fall asleep yet. It sometimes happened to her, and the only thing she could do was wait for her mind to be tired enough. So she read, she read until she fell asleep on the couch, where her mom usually found her the morning after.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 2 am. She had been reading for hours, and it was late night now.

She sighed, taking a sip from the cup of tea beside her, and put it on the table again.

She placed the bookmark between the pages she was currently reading and slowly closed the book. She stood up, stretching and yawning.

A dim light came from the reading lamp on the table, the only light source in the room.

She placed the book beside it and made her way to the window.

She saw her reflection on the steamy glass, the soft light of the lamp drawing a blurry outline of her face.

She shook her head and stared at the raindrops for a while.

She loved rain.

Sun, rain, snow, fog, in fact, she loved them all.

She loved the sun, which can create a wide range of colours and nuances, but she couldn't ignore the soft and white poetry of the snow. And she also felt rain and fog so close to her heart, to her nature, so similar to her tormented soul. Nature always seemed to understand her mood, like she was a small part of It.

A lightning ripped through the sky and a thunder soon followed it with its crack.

Beca winced and istinctively backed off the window.

When she realized she had nothing to fear, she approached the glass again and stood there for a while, recalling the events of the previous day.

 _ **Beca was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in her hands, and three cookies in her mouth (at the same time).**_

 _ **Anne, her teacher, turned out to be a great cook. She had prepared two trays of cookies and a lot of tea for her students** **.**_

 _ **There were about twelve people, and they had spent the previous minutes introducing to each other. Now, they were eating and deciding which techiniques they wanted to learn during the year.**_

 _ **Anne was a young woman, but she gave Beca the impression of being a qualified teacher.**_

 _ **When she spoke, her voice stood out from the others, conveying love for what she taught.**_

 _ **They had been discussing for some minutes when they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.**_

 _ **Anne stood up, smiling "I think that someone else is joining us, guys."**_

 _ **Beca glanced at the window and noticed that it had started to rain, and the sky was getting darker and darker outside.**_

 _ **Anne reached the door and quickly opened it.**_

 _ **A girl appeared on the doorstep. "Hi" she shyly said "I wanted to attend the art class, but I'm probably late. Is this the right place?" she asked.**_

 _ **Beca couldn't clearly see her face, she only caught a glimpse of her fiery red hair, blown by the wind.**_

 _ **"Yeah, it is."** **Anne smiled. "I'm Anne, your teacher. What's your name?"**_

 _ **"I'm Chloe" the redhead answered "Would you mind if I stepped inside? It's quite cold out here."**_

 _ **Anne chuckled. "Yeah, of course." she answered, gesturing her to come inside.**_

 _ **And Chloe did so.**_

Beca winced at the memory.

She felt her stomach tighten for guilt.

Because she had felt something she wasn't supposed to feel when she had seen the redhead's face.

She felt like she had seen that girl before, even if she was sure she hadn't.

She felt like her life was going to change, but she was so incredibly scared.

She sat on the couch again, slowly sipping the remaining tea. Then, she laid down and turned off the lamp, trying to fall asleep and forget about that unpleasant cramp in her belly.

 _ **"Oh my god, you're drenched." Anne noticed when the redhead came in. She quickly closed the door and hurried upstairs.**_

 _ **Meanwhile, some people were chatting and others were exchanging glances.**_

 _ **She returned a couple of minutes later with a towel and a sweater in her hands, and gave them to the redhead.**_

 ** _The girl thanked her, smiling, and changed her wet sweater with the dry one Anne had given her._**

 ** _Then, she put the towel all over her hair, and walked towards the couch._**

 ** _She stopped in front of Beca and politely asked if she could sit beside her._**

 ** _Beca nodded and the redhead sat down._**

 ** _The brunette couldn't help but notice how warm Chloe's body was, and how her own stomach was aching now that the redhead was near her._**

 ** _"I'm Chloe" the redhead whispered. "And you?" she asked, curling her bottom lip and tilting her head._**

 ** _"Uhm... I'm Beca" she replied._**

 ** _The conversation died as Anne spoke again._**

 ** _Beca could feel Chloe's eyes lying on her face, but she didn't bother to lift her own head._**

 ** _She felt so damn guilty and she didn't even know why. She just wanted this class to end and come back home._**

Beca turned in the couch and moaned nervously as she drifted deeper into sleep.

* * *

 ** _Author's note: I'm sorry guys I haven't posted for a week, but I've been studying hard for an exam. I really needed to focus on it._**

 ** _Don't you worry, I think I'll manage to update more frequently now. Uh... and thanks for reading ;-)_**


	6. Chapter 5

-CHAPTER 5-

September 9th, W., Florida

"Okay, now I'll distract them, and you find the map." Stacie ordered "Alright?"

"Alright" Luke nodded, tightening his grip on the joystick and waiting for the brunette to create a diversion.

Luke hid behind a bush while Stacie climbed the tower in silence. Once she reached the top, she killed the vedette and set fire to the wooden furniture of the room. Then, she exited the room and slowly closed the door.

She tiptoed quietly in the asiles of the castle, looking for the armory.

She suddenly heard the bell alarm ringing and immediately hid behind a curtain, just in time to avoid the soldiers that were rushing upstairs to kill the fire.

She noticed that Luke had entered the castle, taking advantage of the confusion.

She breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her task, soon finding the room she was looking for.

She took a moment to assess the situation. There were three guards inside, and Stacie opted for her bow, instead of her gun (which would have been dangerous, since she was in an armory).

She climbed the wooden boards of the ceiling and strung her bow, aiming at the man beneath her.

She shot him, and the other guards immediately approached their dead buddy, looking around to identify the killer.

Stacie jumped down and killed them both with her knives.

"I've found the map" Luke exclaimed "I'm gonna join you now. You should take some munitions, we need them."

"Alright" she found many bullets and arrows, and also took two slings.

"Brought you some friends, Stacie." Luke said. He suddenly rushed into the room, four soldiers chasing him. "Please help me." he pleaded.

Stacie aimed at the first one, and shot him with skill. Three left.

Luke turned around and attacked them with his dagger.

Meanwhile, Stacie was aiming at the biggest guard, who was trying to strike Luke with his ax.

She was about to shot when she heard a vibration in her pocket.

She immediately placed the joystick on the carpet and took her phone out with enthusiasm, hoping that the caller was Chloe. She hadn't heard from her girlfriend for three days.

She smiled when she saw the redhead's name on the screen and swiped to accept the call.

"OH COME ON STACIE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Luke shouted.

Stacie giggled "Hi Chloe" she said.

"Hi Stacie." the redhead replied. "Tell me, who is yelling at you?"

"IT'S FUCKING ME, LUKE!" he answered "WE WERE ABOUT TO COMPLETE THE LEVEL AND SHE JUST LET THOSE FUCKING SOLDIERS KILL ME"

Chloe chuckled. "I miss you, guys" she said. "I miss you so bad."

There was a moment of silence.

Chloe's statement made them all think of the past, and the redhead's absence seemed much realer than it was before.

After turning the speaker on, Stacie took a slice of pizza from the table. Meanwhile, Luke asked the redhead about her life in California.

"Well" Chloe started "I've been to this art class yesterday... it was held in a villa in the suburbs of the city, a decadent yet quaint one."

"Yeah?" Stacie interrupted " I want a photo, then"

"Sure" Chloe replied "I was drenched when I arrived there, but the teacher was very kind and gave me a towel and a dry sweater. Her name's Anne. She can also cook."

"How can you say that? Did she make a cake or something?" Luke asked.

"Uhm... yeah. Kind of. She made cookies for all of us. And tea. I really like her."

"Yeah?" Stacie asked, taking a sip of Coke.

"Yes. And the house is even better inside. It is so warm and cozy... definitely well-appointed, with a lot of carpets, pictures and books. And I met this girl, Beca."

Stacie frowned at her girlfriend's words. She suddenly felt jealous, even if she ignored the reason of this feeling.

"She is so weird, guys. I tried to talk to her, but she ignored me."

Luke noticed Stacie's disappointment and threw her a questioning glance.

"She had gone there by bike, but she had a flat on the way back so I picked her up since I was driving home. And she was so quiet during the whole ride and she wouldn't talk to me that much. I don"t get why she acts like this. Do you?" She asked.

"I think you should just ignore her as she does with you" Stacie replied. "I'm sure it's not your fault."

"Yeah maybe. I saw her at school today: she just waved at me then turned. Like, no talk, no smile. It never happened to me before. Maybe I did something wrong and don't realize it."

"I don't know" Stacie answered.

"Maybe she's like this with everyone, Chlo bear. Just... yeah. It's not just about you" Luke replied.

"Yeah, I'm sure of this" Stacie confirmed.

"I hope so... " Chloe replied, sighing. "I gotta go now, I'll go studying at Lisa's. I'm gonna call you later. Bye Luke, bye Stacie. I love you both"

"Love you too" they replied together, then hung up.

Stacie put the phone on the table, sighing.

Luke placed a hand on her shoulder "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, worried.

"It's just... I don't know. I don't like the idea of Chloe being with some girls other than me, expecially this Beca one. Why does Chloe want that girl to like her?"

"I don't know... maybe she wants to make some friends. It's normal, she is in a new town, she needs to feel welcome." Luke replied. "And after all, she loves you. And I'm sure of that, okay?" He continued. "Now look me in the eyes."

The brunette stared at his blue orbs.

"Everything is going to be alright. Chloe is not going to cheat on you with some random girl from California, okay?"

"Okay." She answered. "But what can I do to be sure of it?"

Luke giggled. "Nothing. You just gotta trust her."


	7. Chapter 6

-CHAPTER 6-

September 15th, B., California

"And you, who would you buy?" Beca asked, opening her locker to take physic's book.

Jesse frowned, hesistant. "I don't know... Durant is a good one, I think we already have a great team." he replied, leaning his arm on the brunette's locker. "But if I could choose... definitely Davis." he added.

"Yeah, nice." she agreed, smiling.

She closed the locker and made her way to the lab with Jesse, talking about nba teams and summer trades. She was opening the door, when she suddenly saw a glimpse of red behind her friend and winced as a well-known redhead waved at her. She smiled at her in return and immediately blushed.

She hoped that her reaction had gone unnoticed, but she realized that it didn't when Jesse stared dubiously at her as they sat down.

She sighed. "Ask, then." she said.

"I think you should tell me what is happening with that redhead. I mean, she's so hearty and friendly..." he stated "why do you act like that?"

She sighed again. "I don't know... I just feel so guilty everytime I look at her."

Jesse frowned. "Why?"

"I kind of feel like I'm cheating on Aubrey."

He stared at her, astonished. "How come?"

"I don't know... I have this strange feeling..." she replied, her voice trembling "Like I'm destined to fall in love with her." she whispered, scared. "I know it's totally irrational" she added quickly "but I'm afraid I'll have to deal with feelings that I won't be able to handle."

He murmured something Beca couldn't get and shook his head.

She focused her attention on the teacher, who had started to talk about the italian Fermi.

Jesse wrote something on the desk with his pencil, and patted on Beca's shoulder to get her attention.

' **Her name?** ' he had written.

' **Chloe** ' Beca wrote with her own pencil, wincing at the sight of that name.

He curled his lips. ' **Then I think you should become friend with this Chloe, so you'll soon realize that you can handle your feelings and that you have nothing to fear.** '

 **'You sure?'**

' **No, but I definitely think you should try**.'

* * *

Beca spent the whole morning thinking about what Jesse had written.

At lunchtime, she went to the canteen alone since her friend had a football match in the afternoon, and he had to come home earlier.

She chose a table in the corner of the room and sat down, taking a book and her lunch out of her backpack.

She turned the pages, looking for an inspiring poem, and ate her lunch meanwhile.

A sweet voice interrupted her thoughts.

Beca looked up and almost choked.

Chloe was standing beside her. And she was probably saying something, but the brunette didn't hear a word she said.

"Pardon?" she asked the redhead.

Chloe giggled. "I said hi" she replied "Can I sit down?"

Beca frowned, placing her book on the table. "Hi... uhm... Sure."

The redhead sat in front of her and took a wrapping from her bag. It contained an inviting slice of pizza, which she ate wildly (And that was so incredibly sexy) "What were you reading?" she asked Beca, in between bites.

" _Les fleurs du mal"_ Beca answered.

Chloe smiled at her french pronunciation. "Charles Baudelaire. I know him, and I really like his poems."

The brunette lit up. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed."Your favorite one?"

" _L'invitation au voyage_ " she answered "Yours?"

" _Je t'adore à l'ègal de la voute nocturne._ It's so romantic and poetic."

Chloe smiled "Anyway, I was wondering if you have fixed your bike."

"Oh shit!" Beca exclaimed, hiding her face behind her hands. "I completely forgot."

"I knew that." Chloe grinned "I can give you a ride, if you want."

Beca considered the proposal. Her mom would get back home late that night, so she didn't have the car to reach the 'Italian House'. That was a good idea, after all. She nodded and thanked the redhead.

"You're welcome. So I'll pick you up at 4.30 in front of the old church. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, perfect" Beca answered, standing up. "See you later, then." she said.

"Bye Beca, see you later." the redhead replied cordially, waving at the brunette.

* * *

Chloe picked Beca up at 4.30, as promised.

The brunette immediately recognised her yellow car as it appeared at the end of the road.

She got in as soon as Chloe arrived in front of the church, and they headed to the periphery.

The narrow streets of the town were soon replaced by the rolling hills, and the traffic noise, by the persistent murmur of the river and the pleasant rustle of the leaves.

Chloe was looking at the road in front of her, concentrated, as her right hand skilfully moved between the gearshift and the steering wheel.

"I've never seen you around before" Beca stated "What brings you here, to B.?" she asked her.

Chloe giggled "What makes you think I'm new here?" she replied "Maybe you didn't notice me, that's all." she added, smiling.

Beca curled her lips. "This is a small town, so I know almost everyone. And I'm sure I'd have noticed you, if you were here."

Chloe frowned "Why do you say that?"

"A girl like you doesn't go unnoticed."

Chloe giggled. "Should I take this as a compliment?"

"It is..." Beca replied.

Chloe turned left to take the path that led to the house, and parked her car in the lay-by before the grove. "We need to get off, 'cause that path is too bumpy for my car." she informed the brunette as she turned off the engine.

When they got to the house, Anne was baking a tray of cookies, and its smell was spreading in the whole house.

They both put their coats on the hall tree and joined the others in the living room.

After a while, Anne led them to the second floor.

The spiral staircase ended up in the middle of a cozy room, entirely covered with wood.

There was a big scarlet couch on the left, and a pretty mahogany table in front of it, with many books and colors scattered over.

Beca noticed a canvas on the right side of the room, next to a cabinet with some paintbrushes and a palette inside.

There were a lot of pictures and paintings on the wall, and a bamboo divider separated that room from another one.

They reached the next room, and Beca was even more impressed.

There were fourteen canvas in that room, each with its own easel, and seven chairs. Besides, the branches of the tree that broke some of the windows hadn't been cut, but Anne had found an original solution to integrate them in the room. They created a magical atmosphere: she had used them as a support for a small table, built with some long dark boards, and now covered with a white tablecloth.

"Okay, this will be our lab." she exclaimed, clapping her hands happily. "Now choose a canvas and a partner and get ready to start."

Beca immediately chose the canvas which was nearest to the window, and agreed to be Chloe's partner for that day (and hopefully for the others, too).

"Everyone will portrait their partner. I'll give you 30 minutes each to sketch a draft of the person in front of you." she informed them "You can use the technique you prefer and paint with your fingers as well. I want to know your inclinations. I want you to surprise me." she added. "Is that clear? Any doubts?"

There were no questions, and Anne went downstairs to bake another tray of cookies.

"Okay, so who starts?" Chloe asked the brunette.

Beca giggled "You."

Chloe nodded and Beca sat on a chair beside the redhead.

She immediately started to paint with passion on the canvas with a small brush, turning every now and then to look at the brunette.

On the other hand, Beca stared continously at Chloe, and saved in her own mind as much details as she could get, to put them in the canvas later.

She payed attention to the expressions that followed one another on the redhead's face, noticing how often she curled her lips, smiled or frowned.

She really liked the idea of staring at Chloe like this, with no fear of being caught.

About 30 minutes later, Anne appeared in the room and watched her students finishing their works, congratulating the ones that surprised her most.

After this, she called shift.

Beca took Chole's place, and decided to portrait the redhead just as she was, with no personal interpretation.

She took a pencil and started to draw the outline of Chloe's face.

When the 30 minutes were almost over, Anne stopped at Beca's side.

The brunette lifted her head to look into her teacher's eyes.

She grinned when she saw that Anne was something between disappointed and surprised.

"You drew her just like she is..." she stated "No colors, no emotions. Why?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

Beca glanced at Chloe. She pointed at the perky redhead. "Look at her" she replied "I barely know her. What else could I do? I painted her as I see her." she curled her lips and frowned. "I couldn't pretend I knew her. I promise I'll add some colors, but I want to know the nuances of her soul before. That wouldn't be fair otherwise." She glanced at Chloe just to see that the redhead was looking at her agape.

Anne thought about the brunette's words for a while, then walked away to see other people's paintings.

After a while, the teacher spoke up "Okay, now you'll have twenty minutes to talk to your partners and get to know them. Try to find out as much as you can. As for me, I'm gonna get cookies and tea for everybody." she announced.

She went downstairs, and the students started to talk to each other.

Beca and Chloe approached the window, leaning against the wall.

"So you want to know me? Like, for real?" Chloe suddenly asked.

Beca smiled. "Yeah, kind of."

Chloe chuckled "I'd really like to do that, too."

Anne reappeared with a box of cookies, a bottle of tea and many plastic cups piled on the bottle itself. As soon as she placed them on the table, everyone approached it and immediately started to eat, thanking the teacher.

Chloe told Beca about her life in W., Florida, and about her father's job, that caused so many changings in her life.

Beca, for her part, told Chloe about her passion for art and poetry.

After the break, Anne gave them one more task they had to perform "Okay, now that you know your partner better, you'll add some details you hadn't noticed before. You have 15 minutes each."

Chloe added some more color at her portrait. Beca dunked her finger into a little tube of yellow tempera, and added some things in the background.

Anne walked beside her and glanced at her work, nodding with satisfaction.

"Okay now" she announced, aloud "listen to me. The partner you chose for today, will be your partner for the whole year. You can add new things to this portrait whenever you want." she paused "I expect you to take a photo of your work today, and one at the end of the school year. I want to see the evolution of you all, as artists, as friends and as people." she added "The lesson is over."

After taking the photo, Beca and Chloe quickly went downstairs, took their coats and exited the house.

They walked down the dusty path and soon reached the car.

The air was getting cooler and cooler, and the mist, dense as if it was a cold day of November, was descending on the town.

Chloe opened the door of her car, while Beca continued walking, heading to the main road. When the redhead realized it, she immediately closed the door and reached Beca.

"I thought you were coming home with me." Chloe murmured, disappointed, as she followed Beca.

When they reached the main road, Beca stopped and looked at Chloe, frowning and scratching her head "Oh right. I have a dinner with Aubrey. She's picking me up." she replied. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you."

Chloe nodded, curling her lips. "It's okay, but... who is Aubrey?" she asked.

Beca put her hands into the pockets of her grey coat and stared at the ground "My girlfriend." she murmured. "Aubrey is my girlfriend."


	8. Chapter 7

-CHAPTER 7-

September 29th, B., California

The Italian House stood out against a cloudless sky, that the sunset was painting red and orange. The sun was disappearing below the horizon, unlike the moon, that was progressively rising to join the stars up above. That evening, the sky seemed to be dripping emotions, in the form of many shades of colors.

Beca was sitting on the border wall in front the villa, contemplating that poetic view.

She was waiting for Chloe to join her outside, since they used to walk to the redhead's car together.

"Becsss" Chloe called out to draw the brunette's attention.

Beca immediately jumped off the wall. "Becs?" she asked "What's that?"

Chloe giggled "A pet name."

The brunette took her bike and she made her way to the grove. "I don't like it. It reminds me of bacon."

"You always think of food." Chloe stated, smiling. "So your opionion doesn't matter."

"Yeah it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Whatever." the brunette replied, smiling.

She really liked Chloe.

They had lunch together almost everyday at the school canteen, and Chloe used to share secrets with the brunette, and tell her about her life in W., Florida.

And Beca loved Chloe's voice, so she listened to the redhead's stories with interest.

They were becoming friends, as Jesse had suggested, and Beca was glad to admit that her best friend was right: in fact, she was able to deal with her feelings now, and she had realized that the redhead was not the love of her life. Red string of fate, soulmates, and all that stuff... just movies' inventions. Those things didn't happen in real life.

She really liked Chloe's company, though.

"I think we should hang out sometime" the redhead spoke up, after a while.

"Yeah, that would be fun" Beca agreed.

They left the grove behind and stopped in front of Chloe's car.

"Tomorrow's Friday, right?" the brunette asked.

"Yeah"

"We use to have a movie night every Friday. Jesse, Aubrey and I. Do you want to join us?"

The redhead curled her lips, thinking. "Yeah... I guess so"

"Fine. Then it's settled." The brunette exclaimed, getting on her bike and heading to the main road "See you tomorrow, then."

"See you" Chloe waved at her, then disappeared in her yellow car.

* * *

Beca was the first one to arrive at Jesse's house.

She parked her mom's car in front of the lawn and followed the walkway that led to her best friend's porch.

The beauty and the elegance of his garden always left her speechless. She wondered how Jesse's father, alone, could combine gardening with his others occupations, and do such a great a great job.

She knocked.

Alexandra, Jesse's younger sister, opened the door, and hugged Beca with joy.

"Hi, my little princess. How are you doing?" the brunette asked, closing the door.

"Great" Alex answered, smiling "I'm very happy to see you" she grabbed Beca's hand and led her upstairs "Come with me, I wanna show you something."

Beca chuckled "Sure" she replied, following the little girl in her bedroom.

Alex ordered Beca to sit on her bed and close her eyes. She did, and Alex brought her a very big toy.

"Keep your eyes shut, Becky" the little girl commanded "Tell me. What is it?"

Beca giggled "I don't know" she muttered " Maybe a box with something inside?"

"Nope. Try again." Alex giggled.

"Uhm... Maybe a house?" she guessed.

Alex clapped, excited. "Yeah, but for what?" she asked the brunette.

"Alex, are you tormenting Beca with your dollhouse?" Albert's voice came from the hallway.

"Daddy" she complained "I wanted her to guess it by herself, and you blew it."

Beca opened her eyes and saw Albert standing out of the door, leaning on the jamb.

"Jesse is in his bedroom" he informed Beca, smiling "And you, sweetie, come here" he told Alex, streching out his arms. She hugged her dad and he lifted her.

He was so tall and stong, whereas Alex was so small and weak... it was touching.

Jesse's mom had left them when Alex was two.

Albert had been looking for her for a few years, but he couldn't find her, so he resigned himself to the fact that she was gone and she would not come back, and did his best to raise his children.

He had been both a father and a mother for them, and they really adored him.

They suddenly heard the doorbell ringing.

She heard Jesse shouting "I'm coming" and rushing downstairs to open the door.

After a few seconds, Jesse and Chloe appeared in the hallway, and the introductions were made.

"Okay princess" Albert eventually told Alex "Get ready for the cinema."

He laid the little girl on her bed and she immediately rushed to the bathroom to get changed.

Beca and her friends went downstairs and sat on the couch.

Jesse asked them about the art class of the previous day, and they discussed for a while about that.

Aubrey arrived twenty minutes later.

She knocked vigorously, and Beca rushed to the entrance, almost stumbling on the carpet, to open the door.

She couldn't wait to hug her girlfriend again. They hadn't seen each other for a few days and she was missing the blonde so bad...

Aubrey was waiting at the doorway, distractedly twiddling her keys.

She was as beautiful as ever.

She wore her favorite coat, a long brown one, and an orange scarf around her neck.

Her hair neatly fell on her shoulders and her blue eyes shone as she saw her girlfriend standing in front of her.

"Hi" she murmured softly, and gave the brunette a chaste kiss.

"Hi" Beca replied happily, hugging her girlfriend with enthusiasm "I've been missing you so much"

"I know it. I missed you, too." Aubrey whispered, closing the door.

She hung her coat and her scarf on the coat rack near the entrance.

"Hi Jesse, how are you doing?" she asked as she joined the others on the couch.

"Fine" he answered, smiling. "It's nice to see you"

"Same here " she giggled "And you must be Chloe" Aubrey stated, stretching out her hand to shake the redhead's one.

"Yes..." Chloe shyly replied "Aubrey, I guess?"

The blonde grinned "Yeah... have you already chosen a movie?"

"Nope" Beca answered "Any idea?"

 _"_ What about _X Men: Days of future past_?" Chloe asked.

"Beca is not really into science-fictions" Aubrey pointed out.

"Okay, then we can watch the _Great Gatsby_ " the redhead suggested.

Jesse giggled "Chloe... Beca hates romance"

Chloe looked at the brunette with disapproval, and her friend lifted her hands in defense, sighing " _X men_ is fine" she muttered.

* * *

Albert and Alex had gone to the cinema, and Jesse's dad left the guys some money to buy the pizzas.

Now, they were watching the movie.

Aubrey and Beca were cuddling on the couch, whereas Chloe and Jesse had fallen asleep on the carpet.

Beca really loved being in her girlfriend's arms.

Aubrey was stroking her hair gently while Beca was distractedly caressing her hand, watching the movie with interest.

"I love you" Aubrey whispered in the brunette's ear.

"Love you too" she murmured automatically, not looking away from the screen.

Aubrey started to place kisses on Beca's neck.

The brunette threw her a disappointed glance and turned back to the tv again.

The blonde started to bite her ear.

"Stop it Aubrey. I want to watch the movie." she muttered, annoyed.

"But I want you" Aubrey whispered in her ear, touching her ass, and sending shivers to her spine.

Beca gulped. "Later" she managed to say.

"Now" Aubrey replied with desire in her voice, her hand slipping into Beca's jeans.

Beca winced and glanced at their friends, verifying with relief that they were still sleeping.

Aubrey started to whisper obscenities in her ear, while her hand moved in a way that was definitely not helping Beca focus on the movie.

"Fine." Beca whispered, slowly turning to face her girlfriend.

Aubrey grinned and kissed Beca with lust, pulling her closer, not interrupting her fingers' activity.

The brunette broke the kiss, moaning, in order to bite her girlfriend's earlobe.

Aubrey groaned as Beca did it, and the smaller girl placed some heated kisses on her jawline, and along her neck.

"What time is it?"

They winced as they heard Chloe's voice coming from the carpet.

Aubrey immediately removed her hand from Beca, and the brunette quickly turned to look at Chloe. "Hi" she said, glancing at her watch and passing a hand through her hair "It's 10.30"

Chloe glanced at the tv, to see that credits were rolling on the screen. She curled her lips "Did you like it?" she asked, suspiciously.

Beca giggled, and "Yeah... an amazing one" Aubrey hurried to reply.

Chloe chuckled "You were having sex, uh?"

Aubrey stood up embarrassed, muttering something and heading to the bathroom.

Beca grinned " Yeah"

Chloe laughed at her frankness "Then, I'm sorry I interrupted you."

"Don't mind. We'll do that later." Beca replied, smiling.

"What's up, guys?" Jesse muttered with a sleepy voice.

They burst into laughter, and Jesse joined them, too.

When Aubrey returned in the room, she saw them...just... laughing their head off...

She shook her head, smiling. "We should choose the next film, guys."


	9. Chapter 8

-CHAPTER 8-

October 27th, B., California

The basement of the Italian House was unadorned and cold.

A wooden staircase connected it to the ground floor, and a few air inlets made the ventilation possible.

The room was big, a square space that seemed even wider for the lack of furniture and the gloomy color of the walls, made of grey stone.

The flames that were dancing in the fireplace were the only source of light and heat, and they lit up the room, revealing a long brown table, covered with many newspapers, and a lot of chairs in front of them.

"Okay guys" Anne started, once everyone had joined her downstairs "Today's lesson will be a little bit different. Have you all brought a pumpkin, as I asked you?"

They nodded silently, listening carefully to their teacher.

"Nice" she exclaimed "Place them on the table, then, and sit down."

They did, and she took a big box "There is some cutlery in here." she said "Knives and spoons for everyone. Take yours and pass the box to the student next to you"

The box was handed around and it was empty when it returned to Anne.

"Okay, now everyone" she exlaimed as she took her knife "please shut up and listen to me. You will cut a hole around the stem. Like this" she explained, cutting the top of her pumkin "Just... do it carefully. You should angle it towards the centre, so the stem does not fall in. And" she added "You should save it, 'cause you will use it later to cover your lantern."

Once they had done that, she continued "Next step. You will remove the seeds and the pulp, scooping them out with your spoon. But, before doing this" she said "you need some bowls to put the waste in" she stated, taking some of those and putting them on the table. "Remove everything, you should leave no pulp inside, or the pumpkin will get moldy sooner."

She showed it to her students and waited for them to do the same.

"After that" she said "choose the best looking side and sketch your pumpkin's face on it. Then, carve it." she explained "I'll go upstairs to make some cookies meanwhile. If you have some questions, you know where you can find me." And she went upstairs, silenly closing the door.

The guys started chatting with each other, and Beca turned to Chloe "You look like this pumpkin, you know?" she said, pointing at her own one "but your hair is a little bit brighter." she added, grinning.

Chloe pouted "It doesn't even have a face" she stated.

Beca quickly sketched a friendly face on it and smiled. "Is it better now?" she asked.

"Yeah" Chloe admitted, smiling "You are a chestnut, though." she stated.

"A chestnut?" Beca asked, surprised "Why?"

"Cause the first thing you showed me was your husk. It was thorny and unwelcoming, but I wanted to see what was inside. And I found a lovely chestnut." she said, smiling. "And I'm happy, cause you're a chestnut and I'm a pumpkin. And it's autumn, so we're both happy." she added.

Beca smiled.

"Seriously, Beca. I'm glad I've met you." she said, biting her bottom lip. "I'm very happy when I'm with you."

"Yeah, me too." Beca admitted, scratching her head.

They had been hanging out a lot in the last month, Chloe, Jesse, Aubrey and her. They had been to the cinema or Aubrey's dad's restaurant several times. Chloe had even taken part to the videogames night with the three of them.

After everyone had carved their lantern, Anne brought them the snack: orange, pumpkin shaped cookies, and pumpkin juice.

They discussed while they were eating. They talked about the portrait, and what they had learned about it during the first part of the year. After that, Anne introduced them the second technique they were going to learn: it was the representation of nature, and she informed them that they would be dealing with it until Christmas break.

Beca couldn't wait to do that: she really loved sketching landscapes. Nature was her favorite subject, for every form of art.

She thought that the balance between chaos and order was the basis of every natural event, and she didn't get how the most of the people could see them as opposites. Indeed, they were just two sides of the same coin.

The lesson ended at about seven, and Beca immediately went upstairs to add a detail to Chloe's portrait.

She reached the lab and turned the lights on, heading towards her work.

Chloe, drawn with pencil in the middle of the portrait, wasn't colored at all. There were only a sun and a yellow car painted in the background.

She immersed her finger in the orange tempera and used it to add a pumpkin, behind Chloe, near the car. Then, she colored the redhead's hair of red.

She smiled, satisfied, and washed her hands in the bathroom.

Then, she turned the lights off and joined Chloe downstairs, and they headed towards Beca's (mom's) pick-up together.

They loaded the pumpkins behind, then comfortably sat inside.

"Want some music?" She asked as she started the engine.

"Whatever"

"Fine." Beca replied, leaving the radio off.

She was staring at the road in front of her, recalling that October 27th. Those memories... they weighed a million pounds.

The two friends didn't talk at all during the ride, and she left Chloe right in front of her house. She repeated her invitation for Halloween night: they were going to go trick-or-treat together, then watch horror movies all night long.

The redhead thanked and hugged her, then got off the car. She took her pumpkin, and waved at the brunette as she disappeared behind the gate.

Beca reversed and took the boulevard that led to her own house.

She lived at number 23, in a townhouse, partially hidden behind a garden that was so wild that could seem uncultivated at first sight.

She parked her pick-up in the garage, and she walked on the short path, made of large circular stones, that led to the backdoor.

She took a moment to contemplate the garden. She stared at the swing and the slide that her father had built for her when she was a child, illuminated only by the dim light of a lamppost.

She smiled sadly, and she opened the door.

All the lights were off, so she guessed that her mom was in her own bedroom, probably writing.

Helen spent the most of the time at home, busy with the housework or reading a book, sat on a rocking chair under the porch.

She took care of the house, she painted, and she wrote poetry books for a living. They were a moderate success, yes, but they allowed them to live a decent life. And they were both okay with that.

Beca turned the hall lights on and put her backpack on a chair.

Once she got to the kitchen, she put the lantern on the table and warmed the soup her mom had left in the fridge.

She set the table meanwhile, taking the bread from the basket, and the cutlery from the drawer. Then, she took a bottle of water and a glass, and placed them on the table. Finally, she washed the grapes in the sink, and put them in a bowl.

Hence, she poured the soup, now hot, in a plate, and she sat at the table.

Eating alone was so sad, she thought.

But it was October 27th, _it was_ a sad day.

She thought of those who are used to eating alone, and realized that she had her mom, and Aubrey, and Jesse, and Chloe.

In fact, she was not alone.

Once she had dinner, she cleared the table and did the dishes.

She took a candle, her pumpkin and her backpack, and went upstairs.

She slowly opened the door of her bedroom, and silently closed it.

Then, she put her backpack near the door jamb, and placed the lantern and the candle on her desk.

She opened the windown, and a cool breeze entered in the room, caressing the curtains.

She slowly took her lighter out of her pocket, and used it to light up the candle. She removed the stem and carefully placed the candle inside of the pumpkin, then closing it again.

That was the moment she noticed that that was not her lantern, but Chloe's, and that the redhead had taken the wrong one.

She shrugged and smiled, taking the pumpkin outside, and placing it softly on the balcony.

From the road, it must look like a firefly in a night of June, she thought.

She stayed there for a while, staring at the silent roads of the town that was slowly falling asleep.

She imagined the voices of the children that were merrily playing with their parents, and the lovers that were silently loving each others.

She felt a hand leaning on her shoulder. The soft hand of her mother.

"Do you miss him?" She asked Beca.

"Just a little" she lied "But if he's looking for us, then he'll see the light of this lantern, and it will guide him home."


	10. Chapter 9

-CHAPTER 9-

November 24th, B., California

October vanished in the thick fog of the first days of November.

As the nights grew longer, the orange leaves silently fell on the ground, creating a carpet on the sidewalks and the parks.

It often rained, and it was not unusual to see dozens of colorful umbrellas, belonging to many busy people, in the wet streets of the town.

Beca loved the gloomy atmosphere of autumn, she really liked the way the city and the farmland stood out against the grey sky, and used to ride to the countryside everytime she could to sketch those amazing landscapes.

She was currently sitting on the top of a hill, under a big oak, with a pencil and a sketch pad in her hands.

Lost in thoughts, she often gazed at the small town below and the crystalline water of the creek that flowed among the houses, and copied it all on her pad.

Chloe was lying beside her, sleeping against the bark of the tree. Her chest rhythmically moved as she breathed silently, sometimes clenching her fists.

Beca glanced at her and smiled.

Her fiery hair was falling messily over her shoulders and she smiled or talked every now and then.

She looks like an angel, Beca thought.

In that month, they had spent many afternoons together, sketching landscapes and enjoying each other's company. And yes, they also used to hang out with Jesse and Aubrey, but being with Chloe alone was totally different. Beca sometimes felt like she was in the presence of an angel. Not a blonde, but a red-haired one. It was something she had never felt before.

She was tempted to sketch her friend now, for she looked so perfectly beautiful in that moment, but placed her sketch pad on the grass instead, and her pencil behind her ear.

She laid down beside Chloe, resting her head on her backpack, and stared at the leaves above her, caressed lovely by the wind. Their movement... it was mesmerizing... she yawned... and she stared at their dance, unable to gaze away... she yawned again... her eyelids were so heavy...

...

Beca felt something cold repeatedly hitting her forehead. She murmured and listlessy turned, trying to drift into sleep again.

She felt a pleasant smell, like wet grass, which recalled her some childhood memories. She heard her dad's voice and saw him playing the guitar with her. She felt her heart getting warmer, and smiled with joy.

Then, she focused on the persistent ticking she heard in the background.

Rain.

"Shit"

She opened her eyes just to see that it was raining... like a lot... more than a lot... she could almost hear the cats meowing and the dogs barking...

She gently caressed Chloe's cheek.

"Chlo" she whispered "wake up"

The redhead curled her lips and slowly opened her eyes, smiling at the sight of the brunette "Hey"

"Hey" Beca replied, smiling "it's raining" she informed the redhead.

They decided to wait there til the end of the downpour, since the oak partially sheltered them from the water and they would get drenched otherwise.

The redhead sat up "Let me see your sketch, Becs" she exclaimed.

Beca sighed.

Chloe insisted on calling her like that and she kind of liked that. Yeah. But she would never admit it.

She smiled "Sure" and took her pad out of her backpack.

"Wow. This is wonderful, Beca. Really." The redhead exclaimed, following the outline of the landscape the brunette had sketched with her own finger. "You're pretty good at this. I'll never get tired on repeating you that." She added, smiling.

Beca giggled.

Chloe always said that the brunette was destined to become a very famous painter. She thought that Beca would expose pictures at some important exhibition in the future, and get to know many artists and celebs.

Her friend laughed everytime the redhead told her those things, but somehow hoped they would really happen someday.

Chloe rested her head on Beca shoulder and sighed. "We'll both become famous, Becs. And I'll take you to Paris with me."

Paris.

Art, coffee and love...

So basically Beca's dream.

" _I will take you_ to Paris with me" the brunette corrected her, putting her right arm around the redhead "Someday" she added, smiling.

"Yeah, someday" Chloe agreed, closing her eyes.

She started to hum a soft melody as Beca passed a hand through her red hair.

They stayed like that for a while, listening to the sound of the rain that hit the leaves and the ground, creating many puddles and streams which flowed down the hill.

Chloe suddenly took Beca's hand. "I gotta tell you something" she said.

Jesus, Beca thought, her hand is so warm.

"Okay" she replied, gulping. "Tell me, then."

"I'll go to W. during Christmas break. I'll be at Stacie's." She informed the brunette.

Beca frowned "I'm glad you do" she replied "But why do you tell me?" She asked, confused.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me"

"I promised Aubrey we'd spend the holidays together " Beca answered, hesitant.

Chloe chuckled "Then she can come with us. I think Stacie will be okay with that."

Beca curled her lips "Will she?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure about it."

Beca smiled "I need to ask Aubrey, but I guess she'll be happy to meet some new people" she stated.

Chloe clapped her hands, satisfied.

"Then it's settled" she said "This is going to be fun."


	11. Chapter 10

-CHAPTER 10-

December 27th, W., Florida

Call it a Christmas miracle.

Call it what you will.

It was snowing.

The snowflakes were falling slowly from the sky, gradually stratifying on the green branches of the pines and in many tall snowdrifts on the sidewalks.

The roads of the whole town were covered with a thick layer of white snow, that reflected the dim light of the lampposts and stood out in the dark atmosphere of the evening.

None of the floridians was walking in the cold streets of the city.

No one was venturing into the blizzard.

No one dared to step outside.

But if they had walked the Lake street and glanced inside of the house number 17, they would have seen a tall brunette climbing on a chair, in front of the window.

She was readjusting a garland that was hanging messily from the fixtures, and she was humming a melody meanwhile.

She often gazed out of the window, as if she was looking for something. Or maybe waiting for someone.

The snow didn't stop falling on the quiet town, and the girl continued to hum her sweet song.

She was not used to that white magic, to the silent poem that God was softly reciting to His people.

Even if she lived in the northest part of the Country, she couldn't easily recall a Christmas like that... meteorologists said that it was one of the coldest Winters ever recorded there...

Once she finished with the gardlands, she quickly climbed off the chair and got to the guest room, in order to help her mom making the bed.

Then, they both went downstairs to prepare some hot chocolate and got lost in a pleasant talk.

About a hour later, they heard the doorbell ringing and the girl rushed to the entrance to welcome the guests.

She felt the cold air of the night against her nose as she opened the door, and then an intense wave of red that immediately swamped her.

She laughed heartily and she hugged the redhead with joy. "Chloe" she whispered, smiling "You'll never change"

The redhead pulled away from the other girl "Stacie" she teased her girlfriend "Is that a problem?" She asked.

Stacie looked straight into her beautiful blue eyes. "Definitely not" she replied, gently caressing Chloe's cheek.

Luke cleared his throat.

"Oh right" Chloe exclaimed "Introductions" And she stepped inside, allowing the brunette to see her new friends, that were standing in front of her.

Stacie took a moment to study the couple.

The brunette (Beca, presumably) was quite short and wore a long grey coat and a red scarf that covered the lowest part of her chin. She had a calm and poised attitude, that clashed with the tormented personality Stacie could intuit from her restless glance.

The other one was much taller, blonde, and looked chilled but haughty. She was shivering in her brown coat and looked in the direction of the taller brunette...

Stacie caught her eye for a moment and suddenly felt uneasy, but that vague feeling instantly went away when Chloe spoke up.

"Stacie, this is Beca" the redhead started, and the two brunettes shook hands.

Beca's handshake was firm and strong, and her stare, penetrating.

Stacie immediately felt intrigued by the shorter brunette.

The other girl approached Stacie.

"Stacie... Aubrey" Chloe informed them, smiling.

The brunette shook the hand of the girl that looked so familiar.

She felt her hand cold and shivery.

"You must be freezing" Stacie stated, and invited them all into the house.

Luke reminded her they still had to unload the car. She offered to help them, but her friend refused and told her to stay inside with the blonde while they did so.

He headed to his green car with Beca and Chloe, and Stacie closed the door.

She hung Aubrey's brown coat and her scarf on the hall tree and introduced her to her mom and dad, who was locked away in his study with his computer and books.

Hence, she showed her the house and the guest room.

"Nice house" Aubrey commented.

"Thank you" Stacie replied, forcing a smile.

The nervousness had come back again.

"Is it possible" she started "That I've seen you before?" she asked the blonde.

Aubrey curled her lips and stared at her, pensive.

"I've been having the same feeling" she answered after a while "but I don't think so" she stated "Maybe you just remind me of someone I know, that's all."

"Yeah, maybe" Stacie agreed, doubtful.

When their friends rang the doorbell, they rushed downstairs and helped them with the luggage.

Then, Beca and Aubrey retired to their bedroom to get ready for the dinner, while the others sat on the couch.

Chloe started to narrate her life in B.

She told them about the school, her new friends and the art class, showing them the photos of her works, and many shots of lanscapes, mostly sunsets, that she had taken in those months with her Polaroid.

Then, it was Stacie and Luke's turn: they told Chloe about their life in W., with no significant changes, and kept her informed about the upcoming videogames.

Stacie was looking forward to know something else about the guests, but had to wait til the dinner for this.

During the meal, Luke, Stacie and her parents asked many things to them.

Beca turned out to be into philosophy, poetry and art, whereas Aubrey played the transverse flute and liked jogging. She read a lot and was really into literature.

She gave Stacie the impression of being very precise and pragmatic, unlike her girlfriend, who didn't seem to care that much about what other people thought or did.

After dinner, they played cards together, but decided to go to bed early, since many of them were tired for the long journey.

Stacie and Chloe shared the same bedroom, for Stacie's parents knew they were together and were okay with that.

Once they got to their room, Chloe approached the window and stared outside for a while.

"Wow" she whispered, as she watched the snowflakes falling and dancing in the air.

Stacie slowly closed the door and walked towards her girlfriend.

She put her hands around Chloe and rested her head on the redhead's shoulder.

"I missed you" she whispered in her ear, removing her hair from her face and caressing her cheek.

Chloe turned to meet Stacie's lips in a soft kiss. "I missed you too" she replied, after she pulled away.

"You are so perfect" the brunette stated, kissing her again. "This whole thing is so perfect"

"Yeah" Chloe agreed, smiling "I can't believe I'm kissing you again."

"Well, you are" Stacie replied, grinning and leading the redhead to their bed.

Chloe laid down on it and the brunette sat beside her.

"You know, Stacie, we should brush our teeth before doing this..." Chloe stated, pulling Stacie closer "We should change our clothes... Wear pijamas..."

"Yes, I think we shoud" Stacie agreed, her eyes darkening with lust as she leaned in "But I think we won't, am I right?" She stated, grinning.

"Yeah" Chloe whispered as she closed her eyes.

"I've been waiting for so long for this to happen again, Chlo" she whispered as she kissed her girlfriend's neck. "Since the day I last saw you at the airport."

"I know." She said as she tangled her fingers in Stacie's hair. "I love you"

Stacie smiled "I love you too" she whispered, and she turned the lights off.


	12. Chapter 11

-CHAPTER 11-

December 31st, W., Florida

A thin blanket of clouds partially covered the moon, but its cold rays broke through them, making their way to the quiet town of W. and lighting up the night with their glow.

That round white satellite was reflected on the calm surface of the lake and the moonlight made the outline of the hills almost clear against the grey sky.

The landscape was entirely covered with a thick layer of white snow, which sometimes fell from the branches of the trees, making a soft thud when it hit the ground.

Beca loved that place.

She had found it during one of her sleepless nights, walking down the Lake street.

She used to sit on the shore of the lake and stare at its surface, mesmerized, leaning her back against a short wall made of grey stone, which looked towards the water like a tombstone.

She tilted her head and smiled serenely.

-Why- you may ask -does she spend the last night of the year alone?- and you may have a point asking that.

Well, a party was being held in Stacie's house, in the basement, precisely. The New Year's Eve party they had every year.

Luke was the dj and he chose good songs, but Beca didn't like how the basses hit the walls and made them tremble nor how they roared in the room.

She thought about the sweaty bodies of those who were jumping and dancing in the basement... Their stench of alcohol...

She shook her head.

Definitely not her thing.

She preferred staying outside, enjoying that dark and quiet heaven.

She took her Clipper and her pack of Camel from her left pocket, then chose the third cigarette from the left and lit it.

She slowly breathed out the small clouds of smoke and relaxed.

She winced as she heard footsteps sinking in the snow, a few meters behind her.

She immediately put the cigarette out on the ground and listened carefully.

Two people were chatting quietly but Beca managed to hear their conversation.

"Why have you brought me here?"

"I need to tell you something"

Pause.

"Tell me, then."

"Well... ehm"

"Stacie come on"

"It's not that easy..." Stacie continued, raising her voice.

"You can tell me anything, you know it."

"Yeah but... " she sighed "I fell for another girl."

Beca didn't hear a word for a while.

Then Stacie continued "I'm sorry, Chlo. I don't know how it happened, but I fucking fell in love with her. I'm sorry... I-"

"-Who is she?" Chloe asked harshly.

"I'm sure you don't wanna know that"

"Do I know her?"

"Believe me, Chlo. You don't want to know that." Stacie repeated quietly.

"Yes I want to." she shouted "You fucking owe me this."

"Maybe I do, but I've loved you too much to do such a cruel thing to you" Stacie stated, her voice trembling. "And I still love you, but I love her more."

"Stace..." Chloe whispered.

"I better go now" Stacie mumbled, and Beca heard her walking back to her house, her footsteps fading slowly in the distance.

She immediately stood up and looked for Chloe.

She found her easily: the redhead was sitting on a rusty bench a few meters behind the wall, with her face in her hands.

"Hey" Beca whispered as she approached her.

"Becs?" Chloe asked hopefully without lifting her head.

"Yeah" the brunette confirmed, kneeling in front of her and gently brushing her hands. "Look at me" she whispered.

"No" she sniffed "I don't want you to see me cry. I'm ugly"

Beca cupped Chloe's hands with her own ones. "I'm sure you are just as beautiful as ever" she stated with the warmest voice she could manage. "Come on"

"Okay" Chloe replied, and she let Beca pull her hands away from her face.

"I knew it" she exclaimed, caressing Chloe's cheek "You're beautiful. Even more than I thought."

The redhead giggled "You really know how to make me feel better."

Beca stared at her friend's face, caressed by the moonlight.

Her eyes were puffy for tears, and her irides were as blue as always, but more limpid.

She looked so vulnerable in that moment she made Beca's heart melt.

"Are you okay?" she asked the redhead.

Chloe frowned and shook her head "What do you think?" she asked back to the brunette.

Beca giggled "You got a point"

Then, she grabbed Chloe's hand and stood up "Come with me" she encouraged the redhead as she led her to the lake.

They sat behind Beca's wall and enjoyed the view in front of them.

Beca took a cigarette from her pack (the third from the left) and offered one to Chloe, too.

"I didn't know you smoke" her friend stated, but didn't refuse it.

Beca lit both the cigarettes with her lighter. "I only smoke during vacation" she answered, grinning.

"Oh" Chloe muttered, breathing the nicotine into her lungs "You shouldn't"

"And here you are, smoking with me" Beca stated, giggling.

Chloe laughed heartily.

They stared at the lake in silence, and noticed that the moon was quickly sliding west, behind the white hills.

"I heard the whole conversation between you and... you know... I was here, staring at the lake."

"Oh" Chloe replied, frowning.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Beca asked her, breathing out a thick cloud of grey smoke.

"I... Well... " Chloe said "I think there is nothing to say" she stated sternly.

Beca cracked her knuckles and sighed "Sometimes it's hard, Chlo. It's hard to choose, it's hard to do the right thing" she passed a hand through her hair "I'm sorry she hurt you, but I don't know... Chlo, it's not easy to judge what people do, we are not in their mind"

"I don't know" Chloe agreed, pensive "Maybe our relationship was destined to end, you know... different lives, different interests... maybe it was not meant to be" she stated.

Beca lifted her eyebrow "Philosophical, uh?"

"It's not... yeah maybe... just..." Chloe stuttered, embarrassed. "The distance, you know. This whole thing hadn't been the same lately"

"Hey" Beca interrupted her "I'm glad you don't cry for her, you do not need to apologize for this.

Chloe curled her lips. "I don't know... I really cared about her, I was in love with her... but being here with you..." She paused.

"... being here with me...?" Beca asked, gesturing Chloe to continue.

"I feel like I don't need anything else"

These words... they lingered in the air for a while, since Beca had a lump in her throat that kept her from replying to the redhead.

It was weird.

With a single phrase, Chloe had described exactly what Beca felt whenever she spent some time with the redhead.

"It's ten to midnight." Beca informed her friend after glancing at her watch "We should join the others" She stated, standing up.

The redhead curled her lips "What if we stay here instead?"

Beca frowned "You want to say goodbye to 2016 with me by your side?"

"Not exactly" she giggled "The fact is that I want to welcome 2017 with you" she precised, smiling.

"Oh" Beca sat down, speechless. "Okay"

Chloe nodded and rested her head on her shoulder, putting her arms around the brunette.

The snowflakes started falling from the sky that had turned grey, softly stratifying on a ground that was already white.

Chloe looked up to the spot where she had last seen the moon, just a few minutes before, and a cold snowflake landed on her nose meanwhile.

She wiped it away with her thumb and smiled.

"Becs, it's snowing" she whispered.

The brunette smiled and stared at the lake, that was no longer reflecting the moon. She couldn't see the hills in the distance, but she knew they were right there, to frame that wonderful picture.

At midnight, Beca's watch alarm rang and informed the girls that the new year had just started.

"So happy new year, Becs"

"Happy new year, Beale" she smiled "You are a year older now."

Chloe bit her bottom lip "Only a minute older, actually."

"Perhaps" she admitted "What do you want to do now?"

"I want to stay here a little longer" she confessed.

"Just a little" Beca agreed, and she pulled the redhead closer.


	13. Chapter 12

-CHAPTER 12-

March 28th, B., California

Why does bread always fall butter-side down?

Beca was staring at her cup of Caramel Macchiato.

Becca. The employee had spelled her name wrong for the umpteenth time.

Why do Starbucks employees always spell your name wrong?

Apparently, these were both unanswered questions... And it's not that Beca went there rarely. She had been showing up there almost every day for the past two months. She shook her head and took a sip, loudly, from the cup.

Jesse slowly sat down in front of her.

"Thanks" she muttered as he placed her cookie on the table.

He nodded "So" he started "Tell me"

"Well... " she passed a hand through her hair "I think it all started about three weeks ago..."

 _ **When Beca opened the door, she found a very happy redhead standing in front of her.**_

 _ **Chloe was carrying her usual bag and a brown briefcase with some pencils and many colors coming out of it.**_

 _ **She stepped in and made her way to the couch as Beca closed the door. The brunette immediately followed her, taking her sketch pad and a pen from the table. She sat beside the redhead.**_

 _ **"Any idea?" Chloe asked.**_

 _ **Beca caught her eye and saw a glimpse in her blue orbs. It was obvious that her friend was excited about this.**_

 _ **"Nopp" she answered, shaking her head.**_

 _ **They had to prepare a project for Anne's art class. She didn't really give them a precise assigment, she just told them to do something unusual, and it had to be finished by the end of April. Beca thought it was too soon to worry about it, but Chloe didn't like procrastinating, so here they were, working on a project that was to be done in a couple of months.**_

 _ **"You?" she asked back to the redhead.**_

 _ **Chloe giggled "Well I was thinking that a performance would be fun... "**_

 _ **"A performance" Beca repeated, thinking about it "mmm... and how?"**_

 _ **"Well, we're here to decide that." she smiled "**_ _ **I'm gonna make us some coffee, uh? Don't stop thinking, though. I'll be here in a while" and she disappeared into the kitchen.**_

 _ **Beca shook her head, amused. Chloe was the kind of person that took your word when you told her to make herself at home, but it hadn't been that difficult for the brunette to get used to it.**_

 ** _After a few minutes, the redhead was back with two cups of coffee. She handed one to Beca as she sat on the couch. "So?" she asked._**

 ** _"Still nothing" Beca replied, even if a crazy idea was starting to take shape in her mind._**

 ** _She slowly sipped her coffee until she finished it, then lazily stood up to place it on the table._**

 ** _"What if I paint on your bare back?" she spoke up, distractedly._**

 ** _Then she realized what she had just said. She blushed.  
_**

 ** _"What?" Chloe asked, turning to face the brunette._**

 ** _Beca's cheeks became even more red. "Nothing" she replied, passing her right hand through her hair, her palms getting sweatier every second._**

 ** _The redhead smiled, but it was evident that she was tense. "You can tell me, Beca. You know, I'm not going to eat you" she grinned "Unless you ask me to"_**

 ** _She giggled, seeing Beca's blush grow deeper._**

 ** _"Come on, dude. Just kidding. But you can tell me anyway" she smiled expectantly at Beca._**

 ** _"Uff" Beca shook her head "I said. What if I paint on your bare back?" Beca repeated. C_** ** _hloe frowned. "Oh.. I get if you don't want me to" the brunette added, embarrassed._**

 ** _The redhead bit her bottom lip "I.. uhm.. I.. I guess it's okay"_**

 ** _Now it was Beca's turn to frown "Is it?"_**

 ** _"Yeah. I like it. I mean, why not?" she replied calmly "What were you thinking, precisely?"_**

 ** _"Well. I don't know. Maybe I could paint something on your back and you on mine, in order to realize something that starts on yours and ends on mine or viceversa. Like night and day or sun and moon, something that can be understood only if read as a part and not as a whole. And then we take some photos of the both of us and show them to Anne" she word vomited "But maybe this is like the worst idea ever" she added in the end "Just ignore it" she blushed again._**

 ** _But Chloe was enthusiastic "I really like it, actually. Wow, Beca, your idea is fantastic. We can even give some philosophical meaning when asked. Cool. Really cool" the brunette smiled "So, what are we going to paint?" she asked Beca._**

 ** _"I kind of have an idea..."_**

 ** _"Yes?"_**

 ** _"Yeah. Do you trust me?"_**

 ** _Chloe smiled "Of course I do"_**

 ** _Beca grinned "Good. Take your hoodie off then. I'm gonna take the colors." and she headed to her bedroom._**

 ** _When she came back to the living room, Chloe was standing there, still fully dressed and dubious "Becs I'm not sure of what I should do. Should I take off my bra too?"_**

 ** _Beca blushed "Ehm...M - maybe... I - I don't know" she stuttered "Now go with the hoodie, we'll see that later" she decided._**

 ** _Chloe smiled. She took off her hoodie and put it in her bag._**

 ** _When she stood up, she saw Beca staring at her._**

 ** _"You're beautiful" she murmured._**

 ** _It was barely audible, but Chloe heard it. She smiled, placed her hand over her mouth and playfully sent Beca a kiss. She giggled._**

 ** _And the brunette realized what she had just said. She blushed again, and saw Chloe grinning "You're so cute when you blush" she stated._**

 ** _Beca shook her head, smiling._**

 ** _She was not used to see other girls naked or half naked or well yeah think you got it. Except for Aubrey, she never had any other relationships, and she got very embarrassed when girls got undressed in front of her. The problem was that they didn't really pay attention to that, since it was normal for the most of people... So she kind of blushed everytime and people always made fun of her. And Chloe was really good at making her feel uneasy, in every way._**

 ** _Beca cleared her throat "Shall we start?"_**

 ** _Chloe nodded "What should I do?"_**

 ** _"Nothing. Just sit on a chair and relax" the brunette replied as she got everything ready._**

 ** _Chloe did, and she looked at Beca, expectantly. Beca smiled._**

 ** _She took a brush from the small box on the table and dipped it into the red color._**

 ** _Looking at the redhead, she could see that her friend was holding her breath, waiting for the brush to touch her skin. Beca smiled as she placed her hand over her friend's shoulder "You're tense" she stated._**

 ** _She caressed gently Chloe's skin, following the line of her spine and getting to the point were she was about to start painting. She did it distractedly, and she smiled as she felt the redhead holding her breath again "Chlo, relax" she repeated "It's just me". She did, but then she winced as the cold brush touched her skin._**

 ** _"Do not move" Beca repeated, and she started painting the outlines on Chloe's back._**

 ** _She mixed red, black, white, and blue color, and the picture was slowly taking shape._**

 ** _She continued adding colors and nuances until she realized that there wasn't enough room. She sighed "Chlo, ehm... I think you should take your bra off... cause well... Cause the picture isn't finished and I need more space to complete it."_**

 ** _Chloe caught her glance "You sure it is okay for you, Becs?"_**

 ** _Beca looked away "Yeah, don't worry about that."_**

 ** _The redhead stretched her arms to reach the bra and unhook it._**

 ** _"Wait there" Beca stopped her "You're gonna ruin my work. I do" and helped Chloe removing it, blushing a bit while doing so._**

 ** _The redhead grinned "You know, Becs, I'm pretty confident about all this..." she gestured, pointing at her half naked body._**

 ** _The other girl nodded and smiled shyly "Well, you should-"_**

 ** _They heard someone knocking at the door._**

 ** _They gazed at the door, then at each other, then at the door again._**

 ** _They saw it swinging open before they could do anything._**

 ** _Aubrey's head popped in._**

 ** _Beca's heart skipped._**

 ** _Chloe looked away, embarrassed._**

 ** _Aubrey's eyes darted from a girl to the other. Chloe, her face almost as red as her hair, was staring at the ground. Beca, agape, had a brush in a hand and a bra in the other._**

 ** _Astonishment. Confusion. Anger. These were the emotions that followed one another on the blonde's face._**

 ** _She made her way to the table and pointed at Beca "Oh you are so going to explain me this"_**

 ** _"She was just, we were just -" Chloe started._**

 ** _"You, shut up" Aubrey was so scary when angry._**

 ** _The redhead lowered her head "Think I'm gonna go"_**

 ** _"You better" the blonde stated harshly._**

 ** _Chloe gathered her stuff, got dressed and took the door, closing it slowly._**

 ** _Aubrey cleared her throat "So?" she asked the brunette._**

Jesse shook his head "Wow you kind of fucked up" he stated.

Beca scratched her head "Yeah" she took a sip from her cup "But I explained her everything. She was still angry at first, saying that I should not do things that imply seeing other people naked. Then, everything returned almost normal, but I feel the difference. Dude she's different" she sighed.

"Why?" Jesse asked.

"Well, you know ehm" she blushed a bit "We don't ehm we don't do it as often as we used to" she stopped "And... Well she ehm acts differently, if you know what I mean. There is no the same feeling as before." she sighed again.

Jesse giggled "You're so embarrassed when you talk about sex" she blushed again, he smiled "You know, maybe it's just a bad moment for her. Be patient and give her some time. I'm sure that you will fix things up."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. And Spring break is coming: you can spend more time together"

She nodded. She took the last sip from her Macchiato and placed the empty cup on the table.

Jesse stood up, Beca shook her head "There is one more thing I need to tell you" she said.

He sat down again "Tell me, then"

She felt her hands becoming sweatier as she tried to gather her thoughts and formulate a coherent speech "Well ehm"

"It's about Chloe, isn't it?" he guessed.

Beca frowned "Yeah, how could you -"

"You always get nervous when thinking of her" he explained.

She gulped "Is it so evident?" she asked.

He tilted his head and nodded, smiling "It is"

She sighed and started talking, tapping on the table with her right hand. "So... you know, she broke up with Stacie last New Year's Eve" he nodded "Well, she confessed me that there was a girl that she liked, but refused to tell me who she was" he smiled, knowingly "Why are you smiling?"

He giggled. His friend could be so oblivious at times "Nothing" he replied.

She curled her lips and shook her head "Mmm I do not have the slightest idea of who that girl could be... maybe that Lisa friend of her..."

"Sure" Jesse commented.

"Stop interrupting me. She told me that this girl was amazing, that she really liked her. She continued talking about this girl for a couple of months, and then, two weeks ago, she told me that she was hooking up with this Thomas guy. And she stopped talking bout that girl she liked until a few days before... and this is weird. I haven't known Chloe for that long, but I know she is not the kind of person that hooks up with random people. And she doesn't do it when she's been thinking of another person til a couple days before. Sooo" she paused "This is weird aaaand we've become so much closer after her breakup with Stacie, but now she's been spending a lot of time with this Thomas, which means she doesn't spend that much time with me anymore" she sighed.

"Mmm that is a great problem" he teased her. She raised an eyebrow. "Dude. This is not that big deal. He's her boyfriend, after all. If she spent more time with you, that would be much more weird"

She thought about her friend's words "He's not her boyfriend" she precised.

He frowned.

"And you, what about Camille?" she decided to change topic.

His face lit up at her name "We're doing great... she's so -"

 _You heard my voice_

 _I came out of the woods by choice_

 _Shelter also gave their shade_

 _But in the dark I have no name_

Beca immediately took her phone out of her pocket "Gotta pick this call, man. It's Aubrey. I'm sorry" Jesse nodded.

She accepted the call as they both stood up and headed towards the exit.

"Hi, Aubrey, what's up?"

* * *

 **Author's note: So hi I'm not dead. Inspiration came back. I'm so sorry guys I haven't updated for more than six months, but I really didn't know what to write. It's not that I ran out of ideas, the fact was that I couldn't shape them in an intriguing way.**

 **Many months have passed, and we've missed many feast days... so Happy Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Happy Easter. And here we are.**

 **Here in Italy, this is the last school day, but I have exams so I'll be quite busy for the next month. I sincerely hope I'll find time to update this, cause this is a way to spend time alone with myself and my characters, and I do really enjoy it.**

 **Hope you like this chapter. It's a little bit longer than the others, but I hope you don't mind.**

 **The song is Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford & Sons. **

**Peace.**


	14. Chapter 13

-CHAPTER 13-

April 9th, W., Florida

 _"They're already taking my fut_ _ure! They can't have the things that mattered to me in the p_ _ast!" I say._

 _"Then lie! Make something up!" says Haymitch._

 _"I'm not good at lying," I say._

 _"Well, you better learn fast. You've got about as much_ _charm as a dead slug," says Haymitch._

 _Ouch. That hurts. Even Haymitch must know he's been too_ _harsh because his voice softens. "Here's an idea. Try acting h_ _umble."_

 _"Humble," I echo._

 _"That you can't believe a little girl from District Twelve has d_ _one this well. The whole thing's been more than you ever c_ _ould have dreamed of. Talk about Cinna's clothes."_

Stacie felt a long vibration in her pocket.

She smiled as she slowly placed her book on the nightstand and took her phone to read the message she had just received. She already knew who it was, though. She didn't like setting special ringtones for people, but this time she couldn't help. And there was only a contact in her phonebook with that long vibration.

 **Aubrey P. : Hey whatcha doin'? XP**

Stacie shook her head, smiling.

She'd been texting Aubrey since the breakup with Chloe, but the blonde, who hadn't been replying that often to the brunette's messages for the first two months, seemed much more interested in this texting thing now. Sometimes, she even started the conversation and sent the floridian good mornings and good nights with no need for the brunette to encourage her.

Even if there was the distance between the two of them and even if it was evident that Aubrey really cared about Beca, Stacie knew they were slowly becoming friends, increasingly dependent on each other. And she hoped that somehow she could finally manage to make the blonde fall for her. It seemed so unlikely to happen, though, that she didn't pin her faith on it. She just waited and hoped for the best.

Well, that was what she wanted to tell herself. The truth was that her feelings for the blonde were growing deeper everyday and she didn't even know if she would get to see her again.

 **Stace: Reading Hunger Games for the fifth time, you?**

The brunette stared at the wooden ceiling of her bedroom. She smiled.

Aubrey was so...

... she didn't even know how to define her. She was so everything you could long for. She had that perfect smile... And Stacie loved the pleasant contrast between her golden hair and the shade of her eyes. She loved the blonde's voice, even if she was used to hearing it through the phone now, slowly forgetting how it really was, and she loved her attitude towards life: she was much more pragmatic than her girlfriend, but she was able to have fun and live fully, too.

And her hands.

God her hands.

Her tapering fingers fitting so perfectly with the transverse flute she was so good at playing. Not that she spent hours watching videos of the blonde's performances. That would be weird. She only looked for them every now and then. Or everyday, maybe. Whatever.

 **Aubrey: fighting with Beca again.**..

Stacie sighed.

She admired Beca, but there were many things about the brunette that the floridian disliked.

The first one was the way she treated Aubrey.

Indeed, the blonde had found her girlfriend in ambiguous situations with Chloe, and Stacie didn't really like seeing Aubrey hurt as often as she had been lately by the brunette.

Then, Chloe was her ex, and, even if Stacie was the one that ended the relationship, she still felt something for her. Something that, unfortunately, was far from being as deep and strong as the feeling she had for Aubrey. Yet something that, unlike whatever she felt for the blonde, was mutual.

So Aubrey getting hurt by Beca presumably flirting with Chloe, Chloe being Stacie's ex, Stacie was not Beca's fan number one.

 **Aubrey: can I call you?**

The brunette grinned as she quickly composed the number of her Californian friend.

She answered almost immediately.

"Hi" Stacie whispered, shyly.

"Hi" Aubrey replied softly "Hi, Stace. It's nice to hear you".

The brunette smiled. It was nice for her to hear the blonde, too "How are you?"

Shit.

She immediately regretted the question, remembering that her friend was upset right now.

And the blonde answered just as Stacie had imagined "Pretty shitty, actually" she sighed "You?"

She sighed, too "I'm fine, but you know I don't like hearing you so upset. So I'm fine but I'm sorry for you"

Aubrey giggled "Please stop rambling. I got it. It's okay"

"You sure?" Stacie raised an eyebrow and curled her lips "Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

The blonde laughed, but that wasn't her usual laugh, it wasn't as genuine as it always was... That was the way sad people laughed "There is nothing to talk about, Stace. The same shit as always. I said that I don't feel as loved as I was before, that I need to spend more time with her, to talk to her, to discuss problems and solve them, before this relationship sinks into the pit of unspoken"

"And...?" Stacie asked.

"And she said that this is not easy for her right now, that she doesn't know what to do with her life, if her dreams are realistic enough or they aren't. That she needs love and she is not able to give it to others if she doesn't feel loved herself. That she needs me to be near, to comfort her and not to create more problems. That she is sorry for this whole situation, but she can't help. That only time will fix things. That she can't do anything."

"And you?"

"Well, I told her that she isn't the only one with problems here, that she is just being too selfish to realize that she doesn't carry the world on her shoulders and that other people have many issues to deal with just as she does."

"And her?"

"Well, she told me to fuck off and she hung."

"She told you what?!" Stacie asked, incredulously.

"To fuck off" Aubrey repeated, giggling "But this is not an issue. It's Beca. She gets cross as easily as she forgives and forgets. Swears are not that big deal for her, so she uses them without worrying too much."

Stacie rolled her eyes.

Aubrey was so in love with Beca that she even accepted and loved these little things that everyone else would hate.

"I gotta go now" the blonde informed Stacie. "Gotta go back to class."

"Yeah?" the brunette asked.

"Yes" she confirmed "Hear you soon"

Stacie smiled "Hear you soon"

The blonde hung up.

Hear you soon.

She smiled.

That was an expression Aubrey loved using.

Stacie lazily turned off her phone and placed it on the nightstand.

She took Hunger Games and started to read it from where she had stopped before.

But after a while, she stopped again, and started to stare at the ceiling.

She shook her head.

If what she wanted was to steal the blonde's heart, the road would be long and windy.

Was she ready to take it?

She glanced at the phone on the nightstand.

She didn't know.


	15. Chapter 14

-CHAPTER 14-

Spring break, B., California

 **Number one. 'We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep' taken from 'The Tempest', Act 4, Scene 1.**

 **Number two. 'Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing' taken from 'Macbeth', Act 5, Scene 5.**

 **Number three. 'We know what we are, but know not what we may be' taken from 'Hamlet', Act 4, Scene 5.**

 **Number four. 'All the world 's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts' taken from 'As You Like it', Act 2, Scene 7.**

 **Use, totally or partially, this quotations to talk about Shakespeare's poetics, discussing its impact on the culture of the seventeenth century's England.**

Chloe stopped reading the task and curled her lips. "Wow" she muttered "A cool one"

"Whaaat?" she heard a voice coming from the kitchen.

Chloe sighed and read it all again, louder.

But no reply was heard this time.

After a couple of minutes, though, a short brunette stepped into the living room with two colorful mugs, one in each hand, both filled with cold tea, and placed one on a small white table, right beside the couch.

"Here's your tea" she told the redhead, handing her the other one.

"I want the one with the cow" Chloe pouted, pointing at the mug on the table.

"Which happens to be mine" Beca informed her, raising an eyebrow.

The redhead continued pouting.

"Fine" she eventually granted, and she smiled as she saw the other girl happily changing her blue mug with the cow one. "And you should stop doing this, by the way. It's annoying."

Chloe sipped from the mug as she glanced at Beca, grinning "I should stop pouting?" she asked.

Beca shook her head, smiling "You should stop doing that, too, but right now I was alluding to your annoying habit of saying things when I cannot hear you"

Chloe chuckled "Oh, that one"

"Yeah, that one" Beca nodded "Gimme that sheet, anyway" she ordered, pointing at the one with the task Chloe was still holding in her left hand.

The redhead handed it to her, and stared at her friend as she slowly sipped the cold tea, reading the task and nodding approvingly every now and then.

"I like it" Beca eventually said, and she headed towards the stairs "Let's go upstairs. Mom's coming home in a while so we'll work better in my bedroom."

Chloe nodded and they made their way to Beca's room.

"I like that new table, it suits the room perfectly" the redhead stated as the other girl opened the door.

"Yeah?"

"Yes" Chloe confirmed as she entered the room. She carefully placed her mug on her host's nightstand and immediately flopped down on the bed.

Beca shook her head, smiling. "Make yourself at home, uh?"

Chloe grinned "No need to say that"

The brunette bit her bottom lip.

She lazily threw her bag under the desk, then placed her mug beside Chloe's and joined the other girl on the bed.

Chloe looked at her, amused "You have changed. Do you remember the day we met? You were so embarrassed, so cold. Oh, you've so changed"

"Yeah?" Beca asked, staring at the ceiling.

The redhead nodded, silently.

"Is it a good thing?"

"Well, changing. That's the nature of things. It's a fact, a reality, so it isn't good or bad. It just is."

"Mmm" Beca placed her right arm around Chloe's shoulders. "God, I'm so glad I've found you on my way" she stated as the other girl rested her head upon her chest. She buried her fingers into that velvety hair, slowly running them through her fiery red locks.

"I'm so glad I've found you, too" the redhead replied after a while "I couldn't imagine my life without you right now"

The brunette slowly nodded as she bit her bottom lip.

"You know, Beca. There's a thing about you" Chloe continued after a comfortable silence, and Beca freed her hand to take her blue mug. She slowly sipped the cold tea as the redhead continued talking "There's this thing about you that I've never felt before. Like, with no one else" Chloe tilted her head to look the other girl straight into her blue orbs. Her eyes immediately locked Beca's.

The brunette curled her lips as she placed her mug back on the nightstand. She was listening to her with attention and her glance was so incredibly calm, deep and reassuring at the same time... And Chloe felt so safe, drowning into those ocean eyes "I feel like... I feel like I could give you all my soul. But this is not the point, Beca" she smiled "The best thing about you is that I feel that, if I gave my soul to you, it would come back so much more beautiful and clean than before, and it's like... wow. I've never felt like this before, Beca. Never. I needed a person like you in my life"

Beca raised her eyebrows and sighed, shaking her head "Wow" she muttered as she stared at the other girl in a mix of incredulity and delight "Wow" she repeated "Uh I don't know what to say..." she buried her fingers into Chloe's red locks, again "Ehm I think that these are the most beautiful things someone has ever told me. Like ever" she stated "So..." she sighed "I don't know what to say. You're probably the best thing that ever happened to me, like in my whole life, so..." she cleared her throat "Yeah, basically this"

The redhead smiled at her friend's rambling.

And Beca automatically reciprocated her smile.

Chloe curled her lips.

She had memorized every variation in the shade of her eyes, every inch of her skin, every single imperfection of her beautiful face. She could portrait her friend even without looking at her. She knew what Beca thought when she thought it, and had the perception of what Beca felt whenever she felt it. In a few months, she had managed to break Beca's walls and she was now able to read the brunette like no one else did. Not even her mother. Not even Aubrey.

They suddenly heard a loud knock on the door, and Beca immediately broke the eye contact.

She sat up, pointing her elbows against the bed and gazed at the door of her bedroom.

A second later, her mother's head popped out of it.

The woman smiled at the sight of her daughter's friend.

"Mom" Beca, confused, said in an interrogative tone.

"Beca. Chloe" Her mom chuckled "I've just bought some cake. It's downstairs. Do you want a slice?"

The brunette glanced at her friend with a questioning look. Chloe nodded, grinning.

"Yes, please" Beca replied, standing up and heading towards the door "I'll be back in a minute" she informed her friend, blinking, and followed her mom downstairs.

"Did I interrupt something?" her mom asked when they got to the kitchen, with a mischievous grin on her face.

Beca raised an eyebrow "No?" she replied, clenching her teeth.

"Was that an answer or a question?" her mom asked, amused, while she cut the cake.

"An answer?" she sighed "Why do you ask me such a question? We're just friends"

Her mom handed her a plate with a slice of cake "You've been spending a lot of time together lately, and I have almost seen more frequently Chloe in these six months than Aubrey in the last six years. Besides, I know you really believe in love, and I'm your mom: I'm worried you may get hurt. And I admit I was curious" she smiled "You want a slice, too?" she asked her daughter.

"Yes, please" the brunette smiled and shook her head.

Her mom quickly cut another slice of cake and handed her daughter a second plate.

Beca thanked her and headed towards the stairs.

"Beca"

She stopped, turning to face her mom "Mom"

"I do like Aubrey, she's a good girl, but I've never seen you this happy before" she admitted, sincerely "Don't let Chloe slip away"

"I love Aubrey" she said, decided.

"I don't doubt it. But you love Chloe more"

Beca blushed "It doesn't matter. She has Thomas"

Her mom shook her head, sighing "Whatever, Beca. Whatever"

Beca shook her head and quickly made her way to her bedroom.

She silently opened the door.

Chloe was still on her bed and, apparently, hadn't noticed Beca yet. She was holding a picture frame in her hands and was staring at it curiously.

Beca smiled.

She cleared her throat to make Chloe aware of her return.

The redhead lifted her head and immediately put the photo back on the nightstand, blushing "Sorry, I was just... I was-"

"-Hey" Beca whispered calmly, closing the door "It's okay" she made her way to the bed and placed the two plates onto the nightstand "That's a photo of me and dad"

Chloe took a slice of cake "You've never told me anything about him"

"Well, there's not that much to say" the brunette replied, sitting on her bed "He left many years ago. He's not here right now, and he won't be, so..." she cleared her throat "really, not that much to say"

"Mmm" the redhead took another bite "You look alike him" she stated.

Beca sighed "I do. And not only phisically. Mom and dad have met when they were about twenty. It was summer. He liked music, poetry and art, just like as mom does. They quickly fell in love and mom says it was amazing. He was amazing, I remember him" she smiled.

"I remember the Sundays spent with him, the summer we built the swing and the slide in the garden, I remember when we played guitar and when we read together. Mom says he was passionate, he was intelligent, he was charming. She says I'm like him. She says, well, she says she knew he would leave someday and well" she sighed "That people like me and dad make life worth living" She slowly took a sip of tea from the mug "But he failed in the most important choice"

She cleared her throat.

"So" she raised her eyebrows, sighing "Shakespeare"

She took her sketchpad and a pen from the drawer "Ideas"

Chloe smiled, gently stroking Beca's cheek.

And the brunette's heart skipped a beat as the redhead did so.

She noticed that her eyes were now darker than they usually were.

Her friend tilted her head "I'm sorry, Becs" she whispered.

"Don't be" she replied, cupping Chloe's hand over her cheek "It's okay" she smiled "So, Shakespeare"

"Shakespeare" Chloe repeated.

Beca smiled, uncapping the pen "The quotations are all pretty useful. I like them. I think we could use number 1, 2 and 4 to talk about the theme of life compared to a dream or a play. It was very popular in seventeenth century's Europe"

The other girl nodded "I like it, but I wanted to talk about love, too"

Beca raised an eyebrow "That would be cool, but I'm not sure miss Smith will appreciate it as I would. There's no way we can deal with that issue without diverging"

Chloe bit her bottom lip, pensive.

The brunette curled her lips, thinking.

She took her plate from the nightstand and ate her slice of cake.

"How do you know when a girl is the one?" the redhead asked, suddenly.

Beca almost chocked at the question. She stared at Chloe.

And Chloe stared at Beca, raising an eyebrow.

"Dude I don't know" the brunette replied, lifting her hands in defense "You can't figure it out immediately. You're sure she is the one only after a life spent together. It's quite hard though. And it's not up to us, definitely"

"Do you think Aubrey is your one?"

Beca gulped, lowering her glance on her sketchpad "I used to"

The redhead tilted her head "And then...?"

Beca started to scribble on it. She laughed nervously "And nothing. Life happened and I suddenly stopped being the master of my fate. I don't know" she continued staring at her scribbles. They looked like a house. They always did.

"So how do you know that a girl is the one?"

The brunette sighed "You're quite insistent today, uh?" she finished her tea, slowly, then lifted her head, locking Chloe's eyes "It's quite a secret. There's this song I like" she sighed.

Chloe was intrigued.

"Hopeless Wanderer, by Mumford and Sons" the redhead nodded, Beca continued "And it's amazing. Really. There's this line. It says 'I will call you by name, I will share your road'"

The redhead smiled, biting her bottom lip, and this was a confirmation of the fact that she was very interested in what Beca was saying. This was the way she reacted to the things that really mattered to her.

"You know" Beca continued "In the Semitic tradition, the name was associated to the mission given by God to us. So, calling someone by name represents the acknowledgement of their mission. You strengthen a bond with the acknowledgement of this important fact. And share the road, well. Lovers choose each others. And being chosen is a big deal, as choosing itself is. The best way you can demonstrate your love to another person is by accepting everything about them, their pros and their cons. In a few words, sharing their road"

Chloe was impressed, she was staring at Beca agape.

She continued "I think that love is a mix of fate, is a mission, and choice, since we choose our company in this life, so... Well... Love is a big deal to me, really. I'll understand she's the one when I'll be ready to share this song with her, and she'll understand how much this means to me" she finished "Happy, now?"

The redhead nodded.

There was something different in her glance now "So you didn't listen to this song with Aubrey?"

Beca shook her head "No. It's the only thing of myself that I haven't shared with her yet"

Chloe tilted her head "So isn't she your one?"

"Who knows" the brunette replied, vaguely "And you, have you already met your one?" she asked back to the redhead.

"Me?" Chloe asked, pointing at own her chest with her finger.

"You" Beca nodded.

The redhead smiled shyly "Maybe. I hope so"

Beca clenched her teeth.

Thomas.

Of course.

She hated that guy.

She felt a growing pain in her chest "I want to meet him, then. I want to meet him if he's your one" she uttered harshly.

Chloe arched her eyebrows, confused "Who?"

Beca laughed nervously. _Please, don't make it harder than it actually is._

But Chloe was still confused.

Beca shook her head and sighed.

"Thomas. I want to meet him"

* * *

 **Heeeey. Exams finished! I'm a free woman, now devoted to philosophy, poetry and Bechloe only!**

 **This has been quite a hard month, but now it's all over and I can dispose of my free time as I will!**

 **We're getting to the last part of the story, which will be full of romance and Bechloe. I hope I'll manage to finish this by the end of the summer, but I'm not sure I will.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and hope you'll continue following this story.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **We will die, but otps will live forever!**

 **Peace.**


	16. Chapter 15

\- CHAPTER 15 -

April 22nd, B., California

 **Aubrey, this is Thomas. Thomas, Aubrey. Jesse, Jesse this is Thomas. Thomas, Jesse. Chloe, this is Camille. Camille, Chloe. Camille, Aubrey. Camille, this is Beca, you've already met. Thomas, this is Beca. Beca, this is Thomas, my boyfriend.**

She shook her head.

She took her packet of Camel from her back pocket.

She opened it slowly, sighing as she took her lighter and a cigarette out of it.

She lazily lit it up, then leaned her back against the green door of the emergency exit as she put the packet back to where it was before.

She gazed at the road beneath the grey stairs.

Some guys, definitely drunk, were singing loudly, jumping in the street, and a couple was kissing in a secluded corner under a blown out lamppost.

She sighed.

The evening hadn't started so bad: Chloe and Thomas didn't talk that much.

They made eye contact sometimes, sure, but it was not nearly as frequent as the glances that the redhead threw at Beca.

Chloe had chosen the seat between Beca and Camille, and everyone had their partner on the opposite side of the table.

So the redhead often squeezed Beca's knee under the table.

She even took her hand for a moment sometimes.

And the brunette pretended not to notice it, but in fact she really did, and guiltily enjoyed it.

She sighed again as she continued smoking.

And thinking.

Yes, the pizzeria part hadn't been the worst one.

The worst part had been the cinema.

Ah.

And things had gone just as Beca feared they would.

The film was not one of the best she had seen, sure, but it wasn't so bad either.

It was called "Ready Player One" and it was a science fiction film, directed by Spielberg.

So not that bad, really.

But a dozen minutes before the interval... Well Beca didn't know exactly who started it. She just knew that, a second before, Chloe was watching the movie, the second later, she was making out with Thomas. Quite wildly. Disgustingly.

And that was the moment Beca wished she hadn't asked Chloe to meet Thomas.

She sighed again.

She glanced at the road beneath and noticed that the lovers had gone somewhere else, and the guys's songs were no more audible.

Everything was so silent now.

She closed her eyes and relaxed for a moment.

She smiled.

Then, she remembered where she was, and immediately stopped smiling.

"Beca, you're out here?"

She heard someone knocking on the green door behind her.

She didn't recognize the voice, though.

"Yeah" she replied, sighing. She put her cigarette out on the metal rail "I'm coming"

"Do you think that the alarm will ring if I open it?"

The brunette laughed.

It was Aubrey.

Undoubtedly.

"Believe me, it doesn't" she answered, taking a step forward to let the other girl open the door.

And she saw her blonde girlfriend stepping out of the emergency exit.

The door closed, making a loud thud.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just wanted to smoke" she sincerely replied.

Aubrey shook her head "You shouldn't"

"I know" she lifted her hands in defense "But I wanted to. And I think I can since..." she glanced at her watch "... It's my birthday in twenty minutes, so..." she grinned.

Aubrey smiled "Yeah, I think you can. Do you wanna go back inside?"

Beca shook her head "I'd like to stay here a little longer"

"But the movie will start in a few minutes" the blonde stated, tilting her head.

"Let's stay here just for a few minutes, then" the brunette replied. She sat down on the grey stairs.

Aubrey curled her lips "Okay" she decided, and she sat beside her girlfriend.

She rested her head on Beca's shoulder and closed her eyes.

The brunette automatically put her arm around the blonde's shoulders and pulled her closer.

She smiled as she inhaled Aubrey's perfume.

She inhaled it deeply.

It was called Green Tea, and was so incredibly right for her...

But then Chloe came to her mind and she immediately stopped smiling.

Chloe.

Chloe and Thomas.

Thomas and Chloe.

Chloe with Thomas, not with her.

She sighed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Aubrey whispered, concerned, tilting her head a bit more to look her girlfriend into the eyes, stroking her cheek.

"Nothing, really" Beca replied, giving the blonde a peck on her lips "It's nothing"

She smiled.

She was so lucky to have the blonde.

They had fought a lot after the art project mess, but they had cleared it up now.

Indeed, they had been quite busy lately, busy in remembering why they so loved each other.

Beca grinned.

What a week.

Yet now she was here, sad for her now happy best friend.

Everything was perfect, and she didn't have the right to complain about anything.

She shook her head.

"I'm so lucky to have you" she whispered, smiling.

The blonde tilted her head to the side "Yeah?"

"Yes" Beca confirmed.

"Well, I can't help but agree" Aubrey replied, smiling.

She leaned forward to capture her girlfriend's lips and kissed her passionately.

When she pulled away, Beca whispered, chuckling "I didn't see that coming"

Aubrey stared at her "You didn't?" she asked.

"Well, I did." she replied, chuckling "We should go inside"

The blonde nodded.

They stood up and Beca pushed to open the green door.

"You need to pull" Aubrey stated, chuckling.

The brunette blushed "Oops"

She pulled and kept the door open for Aubrey.

Then, she quickly followed the other girl inside.

The green door closed behind them with a loud thud.


	17. Chapter 16

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS IS M.**

* * *

-CHAPTER 16-

June 14th, B., California

Chloe was so happy.

And Beca was too sober.

She quickly emptied the umpteenth cup of watered down punch and placed it on the table beside her as she watched Chloe dancing.

They were in the garden of Karl's house, and the redhead was dancing with Thomas.

Almost everyone was, indeed, but Beca wasn't.

Their school had refused to host the prom, since the principal didn't like the idea of leaving the school at the mercy of two hundred drunk students (and more, considering that many seniors had partners in other schools and brought them to prom anyway).

Beca smiled.

The fact was that, the year before, a group of students had been drunkenly wandering in the fields behind the school all night long and one had eventually fallen into a ditch, breaking his leg.

And that was not good advertising for the school.

So the principal had forbidden the use of the school building for prom from 2016 onwards.

Fortunately, after weeks of discussions, Karl, a basketball player of the school team, had suggested to hold the party in his country house. The garden was spacious enough for the event and the room were naked so no furniture could be marred.

The alternative was renting the B. Arena, but the cost was unbearable for the school's fund, so everyone agreed.

There was a condition, though: if you needed to throw up, there were the fields all around the house.

Sure, some people were not aware of that need until they threw up on the floor, but it was 11 pm and things were going well.

The most of them were dancing in the garden, happily exchanging glances and touches, smiling and enjoying the moment.

Chloe, Beca, Camille and the other members of the Organising Committee had planned everything.

They had got to the house earlier to prepare the garden, set up many strings of colored lights and make everything perfect.

Beca had chosen the DJ, Chloe had collected the money, Camille had bought food and drinks, and a few other guys had provided the alcohol and the remaining stuff.

And everything was going as planned.

Well, everything...

Everything apart from Aubrey, who had gone to her grandparents' house since her horse was dying.

And Beca, who was alone.

And Chloe, who was dancing with Thomas.

Well, that was planned, but still unpleasant.

So not that good evening, really.

She stood up to take another cup of punch.

She got to the table and started pouring the watered down liquor into a clean cup, when she felt a strong hand resting on her shoulder, and tilted her head to see whose it was.

"Jesse" she hailed.

"Beca" he replied "Where's Aubrey?"

"Well" the brunette sighed "Her horse is dying, so she's going to Oregon, to her grandparents' house to, well" she sighed again.

Jesse nodded sadly "This party is amazing. You've planned it all greatly"

She smiled as she considered that her friend was right.

There were four long tables near the entrance, with food and drinks.

Then there were two rows of spare tables, with chairs, so people could sit at them and eat or talk.

Beca had suggested to leave the remaining area empty, so people could dance in there, and the house itself was used only for the toilets and well... for the bedrooms.

And everyone seemed to be having fun.

She nodded, satisfied.

The organisation was perfect.

"Where's Camille?" she asked.

Jesse smiled and pointed at his girlfriend, who was currently talking with some other members of the Organizing Committee "I gotta go" he stated "Have fun" he whispered, taking her hands in his. She raised an eyebrow "At least, try to" he precised, and then he joined Camille in the conversation.

Beca sighed as she headed to the table and sat down again.

She glanced at her feet.

She was wearing a pair of black and white Vans.

Almost anyone else had high heels, but she didn't feel free with them on, so she had opted for that comfortable pair of shoes instead.

She had chosen a plain black dress, and they matched it pretty well.

She emptied the cup of punch and stood up again to take some other.

But "Beca" she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

Chloe.

"Thomas has gone home" she continued as the brunette turned to face her.

Beca curled her lips, pensive.

In fact, she hadn't seen Chloe nor Thomas in the very last few minutes. "And why?" she asked, feigning indifference.

"His dad has found a jar full of weed in his wardrobe"

"Uh" Beca commented, holding back a laugh.

Chloe nodded "Aubrey? Where is she?"

"Uh... Oregon" she replied "Her horse is dying" she precised, heading towards the table to take some more punch.

The redhead followed her.

They hadn't been hanging out that much since the cinema.

They had lunch together at the canteen, sure.

They both attended Anne's art class, yes.

But things had changed.

Beca felt somehow betrayed.

And things had gone well with Aubrey for about a month, but after that...

The blonde was anxious for her future, and Beca was for hers, too. They couldn't handle the situation very well, since Aubrey tended to stress and Beca tended to relax too much. And the blonde hated that side of her.

So June had started in a bad way, and Beca missed Chloe more than ever.

She filled her cup and handed one to Chloe "Punch?" she asked the redhead.

"Sure" she said, smiling "Thanks"

Beca smiled in return.

They drank the punch in silence.

"So" Chloe started after a while.

"So?" Beca repeated.

"So, uhm... Well... I was thinking" she cleared her throat "Thomas's not here, Aubrey's in Oregon. We're both alone. Soo" she locked Beca's eyes "I was wondering if you wanted to dance with me"

The brunette tilted her head, but she continued drowning into Chloe's blue orbs. She took a deep breath "Yes" she whispered, smiling "Yes" she repeated, as she took Chloe's hands in hers.

The redhead led her near the DJ, and they started dancing.

Beca was clumsy at first, but, song after song, she felt more and more at ease, until, at about midnight, the DJ announced: "Couples, the next songs will be acoustic arrangements of love songs. It's time to slow dance!" he exclaimed.

The students applauded and the atmosphere changed.

The lights in the house were all turned off, and the string of lights above their heads were the only source of light in the garden.

Beca stared at the redhead.

The lights created a dim halo that made a pleasant contrast between the dark and the bright parts of Chloe's face.

Her jawline was defined, her eyes were two sapphires embedded in that beautiful face.

Her fiery red hair fell messily over her skinny shoulders.

And she looked like an angel in that white dress.

"Next song will be Kodaline's The One" the DJ informed them "Take your partner's hand and dance"

And the familiar melody invaded the atmosphere.

Beca let go of Chloe's hands "This will be romantic" she stated "And we are not a couple"

The redhead lowered her glance "Right"

"Come on. It would be awkward..." Beca continued, sighing.

Chloe lifted her head to lock Beca's glance.

Beca noticed a determined expression on her face.

She took the brunette's hands and placed them on her waist "Believe me, it won't be"

The brunette blushed "I've never slow danced before"

The redhead giggled "Follow me, then" she held Beca's neck and looked her into the eyes "Look at me"

Beca did, and she started to dance, following Chloe's moves.

 _Tell me_

 _Tell me that you want me_

 _And I'll be yours completely_

 _For better or for worse_

 _I know_

 _We'll have our disagreements_

 _Be fighting for no reason_

 _I wouldn't change it for the world_

"See?" Chloe asked "You're doing great"

Beca smiled.

Chloe was slowly leaning forward, closing her eyes.

The brunette glanced at her lips and bit her own.

But then, the redhead continued leaning forward, and she rested her head upon Beca's shoulder, pulling her body closer to the brunette's.

Beca could feel Chloe's breast against her own, she felt the warmth of her body, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

She smiled.

She loved Chloe's body, it was so soft and thin.

 _'Cause I know_

 _The first day that I met you_

 _I was never gonna let you_

 _Let you slip away_

 _And I_

 _Still remember feeling nervous_

 _Trying to find the words to_

 _Get you here today_

She rested her head on Chloe's and inhaled her scent, deeply.

 _'Cause you make my heart feel like it's summer_

 _When the rain is pouring down_

 _You make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong_

 _That's why I know you are the one_

 _That's how I know you are the one_

"You're beautiful" she whispered in Chloe's ear.

"And you're drunk" the redhead replied, smiling against Beca's shoulder.

The brunette giggled "I may not be sober, but I'm not drunk neither" she replied "And you're beautiful anyway"

Chloe tilted her face to look Beca in the eyes, and the brunette lowered her head to lock Chloe's glance "Would you repeat that to me, tomorrow?" she asked the brunette, her cheeks slightly red.

Beca stroked her cheek "I may not, but you'd still be"

Chloe buried her face into Beca's neck again, and the brunette buried the fingers of her left hand into her red locks.

 _In life_

 _It's easy to get scared oh_

 _But with you I am prepared for_

 _What has yet to come_

The brunette suddenly felt something wet brushing her neck.

Chloe's lips.

She looked around, worried.

Then, she saw that most of the couples were making out and no one was paying attention to them.

So she concentrated on the sensation of the redhead's lips against her skin.

She was leaving a trail of wet kisses on Beca's neck.

The brunette tilted her head back for the pleasure, and Chloe took advantage of that to kiss her collarbone. "Chloe" she whispered, but the redhead wasn't paying attention to what she said.

She started sucking that spot.

Beca moaned softly.

 _'Cause our two_

 _Hearts will make it easy_

 _Joining up the pieces_

 _Together making life_

"Chloe" she repeated, feeling so guilty and so good at the same time "Chloe, you do have a boyfriend"

The redhead stopped for a moment as Beca said so, but then she reached Beca's pulse point and started sucking there.

And Beca felt so relieved that Chloe didn't stop at the mention of her boyfriend.

Her lips were sending shivers through her spine.

 _'Cause you make my heart feel like it's summer_

 _When the rain is pouring down_

 _You make my whole world feel so right when it's wrong_

 _That's why I know you are the one_

 _That's how I know you are the one_

 _That's how I know you are the one_

As the song finished, Chloe reluctantly left Beca's neck, and smiled as she saw the hickeys that were quickly appearing on the brunette's skin.

Beca was staring at her agape.

Chloe giggled "It looks like someone has given you two hickeys" she tweeted.

The brunette shook her head, giving Chloe a disapproving glance.

"You could have stopped me" she stated, lifting her hands in defense.

"I tried to" Beca replied.

"Yeah, you tried so hard" the redhead repeated, skeptically.

They turned their heads to look at the DJ, who had started talking "Next song will be You're Beautiful, by James Blunt"

The two girls looked at each other.

"What if we go into the fields?" Chloe proposed "So we can talk" she added, blushing.

Beca thought of it. So we can talk. Talking? She glanced at Chloe, skeptically "Okay" she decided. At least, if they 'talked' as they just did, no one would see them, right? "Okay" she repeated, nodding.

She headed towards the table, grabbed a half-full bottle of Jack Daniels from it and they got to the fields in silence.

"So" the brunette said when they had sat down.

"So" Chloe repeated.

Beca didn't have the courage to ask what she was about to ask, but she knew she owed it to herself. She took a deep breath.

"What do those hickeys mean?"

Chloe blushed, then she pretended to be confused as she took a sip from the bottle. When she finished drinking "They are just two hickeys. Friends do give hickeys to each other" she replied as she took another sip of Jack.

Beca raised her eyebrows. Friends do give hickeys to each other. They really do? She shook her head. She took a sip of liquor from the bottle.

"Can I put some music on?" Chloe asked, taking Beca's phone.

"Sure" the brunette answered "I'm gonna go get a towel to sit down. The ground is wet and I don't wanna ruin my dress"

She did, and when she came back, she found Chloe with her phone still in her hands "I don't know what to choose" she said, sincerely.

Beca spread the towel on the grass and took her phone "What about no music?" she proposed.

"Okay" Chloe replied.

They both lied down on the towel.

"But I want you to tell me something" Chloe continued "It can be a story or something else"

Beca nodded "Anything in particular?"

"No" Chloe answered as she rested her head upon Beca's chest.

Beca's heart skipped a beat as she did so.

The brunette automatically passed her arms around her shoulders, and started to run her hand through Chloe's hair.

She started telling her a story.

"You know, Chloe. I'm gonna tell you the story of the fireflies. There are many versions of it, but this is the one I know" she coughed "So... Once upon a time fireflies didn't have their lights. They were just sad and dark insects, flying in the dark sky" she pointed at the starry sky above them.

"One night, a firefly heard a peasant saying 'There's a treasure in here', and told it to the others.

So that night, they decided to go looking for the treasure, bringing small lamps with them to have a source of light in the dark." Beca stopped talking for a moment.

"They looked for it all night long, but didn't find it. So they came the night after, and the night after that, without finding it" she smiled.

"Now they're still looking for it, and they light up the night with their small lamps to find that treasure."

She smiled again "I know I suck at telling it but this is kind of a nice story" she grabbed the bottle and finished the Jack Daniels.

"You don't suck at telling stories" Chloe said.

Beca stared at her, skeptically, as she sat up to throw the bottle into the fields.

"Okay, maybe a little, but not so tragically" Chloe precised, grinning.

The brunette lied down again.

They kept staring at the night sky for a while.

The sweet chirrup of the cicadas was filling the air.

Apart from that, the silence.

"How do you know if a person is the one?"

Beca was following her train of thought, and she didn't realize she had said it aloud, until Chloe replied, whispering:

"She's the one when you're with her and you feel like there's no one you'd rather be with"

"She?" Beca asked the redhead.

"Well, she, he, who knows" Chloe replied, blushing "I've been with Stacie for more than a year. Being with a girl is not a problem for me"

"And Thomas?"

"Well, Thomas, he happened, but he could have been a girl, no difference" Beca raised an eyebrow, Chloe blushed "Well, there is that small difference, but I wasn't talking about that" she smiled "I love people, Beca, and people are much more than just their bodies"

Beca blushed and nodded approvingly.

"Why do you ask me?" Chloe continued "I thought Aubrey was your soulmate, isn't she?"

The brunette curled her lips "I told you, I used to think so"

"And now?"

"Now?" Beca asked.

"Now" Chloe repeated.

"Sincerely?"

"Of course"

"I don't think so" she sighed.

Chloe turned to face her "Oh.. Why?" she asked the brunette.

"How can I say that" she started, embarrassed. She sighed again "I just know it. I don't think we are destined to share the same road"

She curled her lips.

She focused on the hills behind the fields, and noticed that the moon was slowly rising from the horizon. As it climbed higher and higher in the sky, it created a halo that made the vision of the nearest stars increasingly difficult.

"Is there another one?"

Beca turned to face the redhead "What do you mean?"

"If there's a girl that you love, a girl who is not Aubrey" Chloe explained.

Beca blushed "Why do you ask me?"

The redhead shook her head "I don't know. I've been having this impression lately. It looks like you're in love, but, from the things that you're telling me, you must be in love with someone other than Aubrey. Am I wrong?"

The brunette looked away, pensive.

 _Should I tell her how I feel?_

 _She has Thomas now._

 _I can't._

 _But I can answer her question without telling her that she's the girl we're talking about, right?_

 _Yeah, I can._

 _And if she understands, I can deny._

She sighed "Okay, you're right"

Chloe smiled "I knew it"

"You did?"

"I did" the redhead confirmed, grinning.

She curled her lips.

She locked Beca's glance.

"And if I'm right enough" she continued, stroking Beca's cheek.

She took a deep breath.

"If I'm right enough, Beca, you won't mind" she was leaning forward, looking into the brunette's eyes.

She stopped when she was about an inch away from Beca's face.

The brunette could feel Chloe's whiskey breath caressing her lips.

By now, her heart was pounding out of her chest.

"If I do this"

And she closed the gap between their lips, slowly, so that Beca could pull back.

But Beca didn't.

And it was not like in the movies.

There were no fireworks, no. Nor explosions of light, or heavenly melodies, no.

There was just Chloe.

Beca and Chloe.

Kissing for the first time.

Chloe's lips were so soft against Beca's.

The contact with them took her breath away, and brought her to heaven.

She didn't know what to do at first, so she just reciprocated, tasting every inch of the ohter girl's lips.

She closed her eyes as she momentarily forgot how to think, but then realized that this wasn't the typical drunk kiss, it was so much more sweet than the most of the kisses Beca had given in her life.

Chloe was still stroking her cheek, but that wasn't the only reason why Beca had this impression, no.

Chloe's moves were slow and full of emotion.

They broke away, and Beca looked into her eyes.

The redhead smiled, and Beca, in her blue iris, saw nothing but fondness and need.

Maybe not-so-sober-Beca was seeing something that she wanted to see but wasn't there, and she would get hurt if she thought that this kiss actually meant something.

But Chloe's face was so undeniably beautiful, caressed by the moonlight, and her body so incredibly perfect under that white dress...

That was the moment Beca realized that she was desperately in love with Chloe Beale.

She had been for a while.

She kissed the redhead again, and this time she knew exactly what to do.

She pulled her closer, and she felt Chloe anchoring her fingers in her brown hair, as the brunette's hands moved insatiably over the body of the woman she loved.

She felt Chloe's breast against her chest, and she felt her red hair all over her face.

She broke the kiss to reach Chloe's ear and whisper "You're beautiful"

She felt the redhead shivering as she kissed her jawline, and she continued, until she reached her neck.

She started giving her hickeys, and open-mouth kisses.

She could hear Chloe moaning as her lips touched her skin, feel Chloe shivering as her hands caressed the bare skin of her back.

And she was loving every second of it.

The redhead was at her mercy, totally and completely.

She smiled.

She lifted her head to look at Chloe.

She was looking at the brunette with adoration.

Beca slowly lowered the shoulders of her white dress and she felt Chloe shivering as she placed soft kisses on her collarbone, and on her breast.

She glanced at the redhead for approvation, and the face of her friend was a mask of lust, so Beca interpreted it as the permission to go further.

She unzipped her white dress and lowered it until Chloe's flawless belly was completely bare.

And she took a moment to, well, to... enjoy the view.

Chloe was beautiful.

And Beca couldn't believe this was actually happening.

She smiled as she reconnected her lips with the redhead's.

This kiss was different, though.

It was full of passion and lust, full of lingering desire, hidden for too long.

 _I love you, Chloe._ Beca wanted to say.

A strong feeling hidden for what seemed like ages.

Cause, yes, her mom was right when she said she had feelings for the redhead.

God, she was so right.

She hadn't completely realized it yet, but it was obvious now.

That was how things were supposed to go.

She broke the kiss to drown into Chloe's blue irides.

"Chloe" she whispered her friend's name like it was the most perfect word in the universe "Chloe" she repeated, smiling.

"Beca" she smiled.

"You're beautiful" she told the redhead, stroking her cheek "like not just beautiful, but heavenly beautiful. I'm glad you exist, Chloe"

The redhead kissed her again, intensely "I wish you found the courage to repeat that to me, tomorrow" she eventually replied, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"But I will" Beca promised.

"No, Beca, we both know you won't" Chloe replied.

She looked into Beca's eyes like she could read into her mind.

"Now don't stop" she added, with need, and she placed a kiss on Beca's forehead.

Beca nodded.

She focused on Chloe's breast first, and then on her belly.

She loved the way Chloe moaned.

It was so soft and controlled, yet so primal and needy.

She quickly removed her white dress, promptly helped by Chloe.

Now the redhead had her underwear only.

Beca liked teasing, but she had the vague impression that Chloe wasn't of the same mind.

She quickly took off her underwear and went down on the girl.

She started with soft kisses on her inner thighs, but they became more and more heated as she got closer to her destination.

The reaction of the redhead was driving Beca crazy.

Chloe had buried her fingers into Beca's hair to keep the brunette where she wanted her most.

And Beca loved the taste the redhead was leaving on her lips.

"Beca" Chloe murmured, pulling her closer to her core "Please don't stop"

Stopping.

Beca grinned.

That was the last thing she wanted.

She replaced her tongue with two fingers: she knew that Chloe was close, and wanted to look her into the eyes when she came.

This was too beautiful to be real, and, without a doubt, too wonderful to happen again.

And Beca wanted to enjoy every second of it.

She lifted her head and glanced at Chloe's belly, enchanted: it was so toned that Beca could see her muscles contracting, relentlessly.

Every second more, the spell known as Chloe Beale tided her down to the redhead.

She lied down beside her friend, as her fingers didn't stop moving inside the redhead.

She used her free hand to stroke Chloe's cheek, to trace her jawline with her own fingers.

"Beca" she murmured, trying to keep her eyes opened.

"Chloe" she replied, kissing the redhead "I wanted to look at you. You're beautiful"

Chloe smiled "I'm coming" she whispered, burying her head into Beca's neck.

Beca felt Chloe's muscles contracting against her fingers.

The redhead murmured her name as she came.

And Beca had never, never, considered her name as sweet as it was on Chloe's lips.

The redhead's body slowly stopped shaking, and Beca removed her fingers from her, gaining one last moan from the other girl.

Chloe placed a soft kiss on her neck, then lifted her head.

She was so perfect under the white moon.

She kissed Beca slowly, passionately, and when they broke away, she rested her head on her shoulder "Will we spend the night here?" she asked the brunette.

"I think it'll get cold" she replied quickly.

"You can take a blanket from the house" Chloe stated.

"Mmm okay" she whispered, and she headed to Karl's house and came back with a blanket.

Meanwhile, Chloe had dressed up, and she was trying to do up the zip of her dress, without succeeding.

The silver moon defined her silhouette in the night.

"Can you.. You know" she asked Beca.

"Yeah" Beca replied quickly. She threw the blanket on the towel as she approached the redhead.

She helped Chloe with the zip, then surrounded her waist with her arms.

She rested her head upon Chloe's shoulder.

The redhead tilted her head to look at her "Hey" she said, smiling.

She placed a peck on her lips.

"Hey" Beca replied, grinning. She kissed Chloe's neck "Shall we lay down, uh?"

Chloe smiled "Yes"

They made their way to the towel and lied down.

She took Chloe's hand, and she intertwined her fingers with hers.

Chloe smiled.

They kept stargazing for a while.

"Do you regret it?" she suddenly asked the brunette.

Beca was staring at the stars.

"How could I?" she replied, after a while "You should look at your face when you come. No one would ever regret it" she stated, raising her eyebrows "Like ever"

Chloe blushed.

Beca smiled.

She pulled her closer and kissed her, passionately.

Then, she stared at the sky again.

"I love the way you shiver when I kiss your neck" she admitted.

Chloe blushed "I don't"

Beca turned to face her "Oh you do" she stated.

"I don't" Chloe repeated.

"You do" Beca precised, and she placed a soft kiss on her pulse point.

The redhead shivered.

"See? You do" she exclaimed, smiling.

The redhead bit her arm.

"Hey!" she protested "Hey! You've bitten me"

"I haven't" Chloe replied, raising her hands in defense.

Beca shook her head.

She covered them both with the blanket "We better take some sleep, red"

Chloe looked at her, curling her lips "Do you really think I'm done with you, Beca Mitchell?" she asked "This is just the beginning" she said, with a mischievous grin on her face.

She kissed the brunette.

Just the beginning, Beca thought.

She smiled.

Well, not that bad for a start. Really.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first smut, and I really didn't know how to write it.**

 **I'm a romantic person, so I wanted to make it romantic. It's their first time, after all, so I kind of owed it to them.**

 **I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes, since this is quite a long chapter and I may have missed something.**

 **The song is Kodaline's The One.**

 **You should listen to it, it's beautiful.**

 **Peace.**


	18. Chapter 17

\- CHAPTER 17 -

June 15th, B., California

A pleasant wind was caressing the trees and the golden ears of corn in the fields nearby, and many birds were singing, joining the wind in that relaxing melody.

In the quiet of that summer morning, a beam of sunlight reached Beca's eyelids.

The brunette snorted and turned to one side, annoyed, covering her closed eyes with her tired arm.

She kept turning, again and again, snorting, until she gave up to the fact that she was irremediably awake.

She yawned and slowly opened her eyes.

She was surprised, at first, to wake up on the ground, right in front of the fields, but then the memories of the night before swept over her like a tsunami, and she got even more surprised.

She smiled.

But that smile quickly faded when she thought of Aubrey. She hated herself for doing what she did, and for doing it in that difficult moment for her girlfriend.

Aubrey.

She shook her head.

Tears were slowly running down her face, and a sense of guilt was quickly getting hold of her heart.

She had done a horrible thing to her girlfriend, and didn't know how to fix it.

She breathed the morning air in and out, slowly.

Then, she turned to look at Chloe, completely dressed under the blanket.

She couldn't help but smile at that sight: the redhead laid right beside Beca, and she was sleeping.

Her chest slowly moved up and down, and she had a peaceful expression on her face.

Beca bit her bottom lip.

She hated that sensation of guilt, but she couldn't regret what she did the night before.

And maybe she would do that again.

She shook her head and slowly got up, careful not to wake the other girl.

She immediately got dressed and silently climbed a tree nearby.

She took the lighter and a cigarette and lit it.

She needed to smoke, she really did.

Her mind darted from Aubrey to Chloe, from Chloe to Aubrey, relentlessly.

She looked down at the redhead: in that moment, she just wanted to hold her and drift into sleep again.

She could still feel Chloe's lips on her neck, on her breast, on her belly.

She shivered.

Chloe's hands in her hair.

Chloe's naked body against hers.

She closed her eyes.

She desperately wanted to love her like she did the night before.

She rested her head against the bark of that young tree.

"Beca?"

She opened her eyes.

"Beca?" she heard Chloe calling.

The redhead had woken up.

She took a deep breath, put the cigarette out and climbed off the tree.

The redhead was sitting on the towel, stretching.

When she saw Beca walking towards her, she smiled.

"Hi" Chloe shyly said.

"Hi" she sat down.

Silence.

Beca was nervous. How was she supposed to handle the situation?

"So" Chloe started "How did you sleep?"

"Well. And you?"

"Me too" she answered quickly "Is anything wrong, Beca?"

"Hangover" the brunette lied "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows "Don't you?" she asked nervously.

What should I say?

"Not completely" she lied again.

She needed some time to figure out what to do.

Chloe sighed "What's the last thing you remember?"

"The song, the hickeys" she shook her head "we talked" she curled her lips

Chloe was smiling no more "We..." she opened her mouth but nothing came out "Well Beca we... We stargazed"

"Oh... Okay. Then?"

"Then nothing, we talked and we fell asleep" Chloe answered, sighing.

She looked... hurt.

Maybe she regretted what happened.

Beca was surprised: she wasn't expecting such a lie "Uh... Okay. And nothing else?"

"Nothing" Chloe confirmed, shaking her head.

Wow. Great. Was it that bad?

She sighed "Uhm I gotta go now" she said, standing up.

Chloe stood up with her "Beca, are you okay?"

"I'm not, I gotta throw up" the brunette replied quickly, heading towards Karl's house.

Chloe followed her "I better come with you"

"No, Chlo, it's fine, I'm fine" she reassured the redhead "See you later at Anne's" and she walked away.

She reached the courtyard of Karl's house, took her bike and got to Jesse's.

It was about nine a.m., so she guessed that he was already awake.

She left the bike in his garden and knocked at his door. She was welcomed by her friend.

She needed to talk, she told him.

He nodded, quickly got ready and took a black hoodie for Beca.

Then they got to Starbucks with Jesse's truck.

Beca ordered a Caramel Macchiato.

"It's on me" she said, but Jesse insisted to pay.

"So" he started once they had sat down at the tables outside "What's up?" he asked, while drinking his coffee.

"Okay" Beca sighed, placing her cup on the table "I'm gonna go straight to the point. Please don't judge me" She took a deep breath "I made love to Chloe last night"

Jesse stopped sipping for a moment, and stared at Beca.

Then, he continued drinking.

Beca curled her lips "Dude" she snorted "Why don't you say nothing? I've just told you that I cheated on my girlfriend"

He glanced at her "You said 'Don't judge'"

She stared at him "Yeah but please, say something"

"Beca you just cheated on our best friend" he stated sternly "I can pretend not to know that, and that's already a big favor" he finished his coffee and stood up to throw it in the trash. He returned and sat down again.

Beca was staring at the ground "Jesse, I know I did a wrong thing, but I'm not a bad person and you know that. You don't need to tell me I did something horrible to her, because I already know"

"I know" he replied "I'm sorry I freaked out, it's just..." He sighed "I see you unhappy, Beca: unhappy and confused" he reached out for her hand and cupped it.

She glanced at his hand. Then, she looked up at his face and was surprised to see, in his expression, not a judge, but a friend. She saw comprehension, empathy.

She felt a little reassured.

He sighed "You've been with Aubrey for a lot of time, and you've both changed meanwhile. And your relationship hasn't been the same lately" he stated "Maybe you should tell her that you need some time to figure out what you want: from her, from yourself, and also from Chloe, which you won't tell her"

She curled her lips and nodded.

"I'm your best friend, Beca. I'm here"

She finished her Caramel Macchiato and placed the empty cup on the table, in front of her.

"Jesse, I told Chloe I don't remember what happened last night"

He stared at her "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to know how she felt about that" she scratched her head "and she lied, she told me that we talked and stargazed then fell asleep" she sighed "I fear she regrets it"

Jesse shook his head "Or maybe she's just scared to be hurt. You lied too, Beca. You're not supposed to judge her since you did the same thing."

She sighed "It's a little bit different"

"Not that much"

She curled her lips "What should I do?" she asked.

He shook his head "Nothing, I think you should act as normally as you can. She'll talk to you when she's ready"

She nodded.

"Now you should go home, you gotta sleep" he suggested "Guess you didn't sleep that much last night"

She smiled.

He stood up and she followed him.

He drove her back to his house, so that she could take her bike and go home.

When she arrived, she quickly got to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed, immediately drifting into sleep.

She woke up in the afternoon, when her mother brought her a sandwich for lunch.

She yawned as she lazily glanced at the clock: it was 3 pm.

She quickly ate then took a shower: she wore a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt and Jesse's black hoodie.

She was at Anne's by 5 pm.

She chatted with those who had become her friends, they ate and laughed together, and talked about their plans for the future.

Chloe arrived unusually late: the food was almost finished and some people were going back home.

She greeted everyone, quickly waving at Beca with a sad smile.

After some talking, she climbed the stairs to the upper floor and disappeared.

Beca silently followed her.

The redhead was in the canvas' room, adding particulars to her painting.

The brunette silently leaned against the wall and admired the other girl, who continued painting, unaware of those blue eyes that were looking at her with love and desire.

Beca glanced at her agile hands, that moved nervously over the canvas.

She glanced at her hands, and couldn't help but think of them moving in other places, doing other things.

She shivered.

God she missed that.

But she didn't know if Chloe did, and she didn't want that to happen again until she had taken a decision with Aubrey.

She cleared her throat to make the redhead aware of her presence.

Chloe lifted her head and blushed slightly.

"Beca" she whispered, with both fondness and sadness in her voice.

The brunette curled her lips.

"How long have you been watching me?" she asked.

"A while" Beca replied, shrugging. She walked towards the redhead "Can I look at it?" she pointed at the canvas.

Chloe shook her head "Maybe later" she shyly replied, blushing again.

"Okay" Beca nodded, and she headed towards her own one.

She took the colors and the brush and added the last particulars to her painting: she focused on Chloe's skinny hands, she made her hair even more red, and painted a black sky full of stars behind.

"Are you okay, Chlo?" she asked as she continued.

Chloe stopped painting and looked at Beca. She sighed "I gotta tell you something, Becs"

The brunette glanced at her nervously "Tell me, then"

"As soon as I finish here" she replied.

Beca nodded, dipping the brush into a can full of water.

She took a white rag to dry her hands out, then she cleaned everything up. She took a picture of her canvas.

"I'll be downstairs" she told the redhead as she put her phone back into her pocket.

"Okay" Chloe replied "I'm almost done"

Beca nodded.

She reached Anne and the others; they talked.

Chloe arrived about ten minutes later.

They said goodbye to their friends and went outside.

The perfumed air of the summer evenings pervaded Beca's nostrils as soon as she opened the door.

She smiled, looking at the reddening sky.

Then, she glanced at Chloe, who was unusually silent, and headed to the redhead's car, after she had taken her bike.

They slowly walked through the trees.

"So?" Beca started.

"In my car" Chloe cut her off.

Beca nodded.

They walked the rocky path in silence, both tormented by many unanswered questions.

They reached Chloe's car, and Beca left her bike nearby.

Chloe opened the car and the brunette slowly sat inside: she rested her head against the headrest and closed her eyes.

The redhead opened the driver's door and joined the other girl inside. She silently closed it.

"So" she sighed.

Beca opened her eyes and looked for the other girl's, but her friend was looking outside.

She was staring at the sun setting under the horizon.

She sighed again "Beca... It's not easy" she said.

The brunette reached out for her hand and reassured her "Chlo, you can tell me anything. I'm here, and I love you"

Way more than you know.

Chloe looked at her and tears started forming in her eyes.

Beca caressed her cheek, lovingly "Chlo, what's wrong?"

Her friend burst into tears.

Okay. She definitely regrets this.

"Chlo" she hugged her "Chlo" she repeated.

She held her friend tight, but she didn't reciprocate.

"Hey, it's okay Chlo. We'll fix this, whatever it is"

But she kept crying desperately.

I shouldn't have done that. She was drunk, she didn't really want to cheat on Thomas.

"You can't fix a broken heart" she said, among the sighs "I think you should go"

"I don't think so, Chloe"

"Go away" the redhead repeated, freeing herself from that loving hug "Just go" she said with a steady voice.

Beca curled her lips.

She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Call me later, okay?" she said, resigned.

Chloe nodded, wiping away the tears.

Beca closed the door and stepped back, reaching her bike.

The redhead started the car and drove off the park. She joined the main road.

Her yellow car quickly disappeared over a hill, leaving Beca alone, under that darkening sky, studded with the first stars of that summer night.

* * *

 ** _Hey guys I'm back._**

 ** _I'm sorry for my absence, but I didn't really know what to write._**

 ** _Now it looks like inspiration has come back._**

 ** _I sincerely hope I'll get to finish this before it slips away again._**

 ** _Peace._**

 ** _Wish you lesbians and lovely cats 3_**


	19. Chapter 18

.- CHAPTER 18 -

July 4th, K., Oregon

Fireworks were popping in the humid and still air of that midsummer night.

They were sparkling in the sky up above Aubrey, delineating, like lightings, her slender figure in the dark of the contryside.

A brunette, carrying a big blanket, was walking towards her.

The dim light of the fireworks, tending to yellow, illuminated the desirable features of the blonde.

But she wasn't paying attention to the other girl.

Stacie smiled.

Aubrey was staring at the fireworks as a child would.

She had an amazed expression on her face: her eyes conveyed joy and her mouth was adorably open.

That mouth...

Stacie smiled.

... slightly open...

She bit her bottom lip.

... it reminded her of their first kiss.

She grinned.

It had happened a few months before, yes, but it still gave her chills when she thought about it.

What a mind-blowing kiss, what a beautiful sensation.

It was a kiss dyed pink, dyed white, and all the colors of that Spring Break.

A kiss given with the modesty of a person who knows that shouldn't cheat on her girlfriend, but is too warmed, to burnt by such a beautiful feeling.

Soulmates.

Stacie had known it from the first time she had seen the blonde.

The moment she appeared behind that door.

She smiled.

They had already met, they already knew each other.

Stacie knew that for sure.

In her heart, in her soul.

And kissing Aubrey felt like taking back a lost part of her soul she didn't even realize was missing.

Stacie smiled again.

She got closer to the blonde.

She inhaled her perfume, smiling.

She was so deeply happy in that moment.

She glanced at the fireworks above.

It was just the two of them in that moment.

The rest of Aubrey's family was admiring them from the farm.

And they were standing by the riverside, instead, to enjoy a moment of relax together.

Stacie put the blanket on the ground and joined the blonde.

She rested her warm hands on Aubrey's warmer waist, and placed a soft kiss on her neck.

The blonde shivered "Stace" she whispered, smiling.

She turned so that she could kiss the other girl, on the lips this time.

She tangled her fingers into Stacie's brown hair as she felt her strong hands tightening on her hips.

"I love you" the brunette whispered in her ear, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder.

Aubrey smiled "I love you too, Stace"

And they stayed like that for a while, Stacie's head against Aubrey's shoulder.

The brunette smiled.

She remembered the first time the other girl told her those three words.

It wasn't long ago, but it seemed like they've been loving each other for ages.

Stacie had flied to Oregon when Aubrey's horse was dying.

She was welcomed by the blonde's family, and stayed in the farm with them.

The horse died about five days after the brunette arrived, and it was a very hard moment for the other girl.

She knew it was time for him to leave, in fact he was quite old, but she wasn't ready at all. You never get ready to lose those who you love.

So he left, he died in the first night of summer, right beside Aubrey, beside Stacie who was lovingly holding the blonde.

And she cried, she cried a lot.

The presence of the brunette made it less hard, sure, and easier for Aubrey to go on, but the wound was still there, open.

Stacie had planned to stay a week, but then something happened between the two of them, something that confirmed that what had happened during Spring Break wasn't a mistake, at all.

So a week turned into two.

It was the last day of June, when Aubrey told her those three words.

Indeed, they'd been lingering in the air for a long time: Stacie's feelings had turned into love a few months before, and she had recently seen a new spark glowing in Aubrey's eyes, a spark that told much more than the blonde would have ever admitted.

Until they kissed again, at least, until something that would change their story forever had happened under that starry sky.

Sure, the break Aubrey and Beca had taken a week after the prom had helped, but Stacie liked to think that it would have happened anyway.

So a week, as I said, became two, and then two weeks became almost three.

Stacie didn't want to leave, and Aubrey didn't want her to.

So here they were.

When the fireworks display was over, they slowly laid down on the blanket.

They kissed for a while.

Then Aubrey turned to the other side, and they cuddled.

The brunette felt her breath becoming steadier and steadier, until she was sure that her lover had drifted into sleep.

She glanced at her.

The girl in her arms had the features of a blonde angel, fallen into her life.

Stacie smiled.

She stared at the black sky, happily.

The smoke of the fireworks painted the night of an unusual color, tending to grey, and a burning smell was still lingering in the air.

She smiled again.

And the stars kept shining shyly in the dark sky above her.


End file.
